


Adoration (and How Slowly It Blooms)

by Trees_Frogs_andPotentially_Treefrogs



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Panic, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Missing Scene, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, kind of?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28972842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trees_Frogs_andPotentially_Treefrogs/pseuds/Trees_Frogs_andPotentially_Treefrogs
Summary: Over time, between flights, meetings, stunts and life-threatening situations, Carmen always manages to find her. Most unfortunately for Julia, she begins to lose her quiet moments, but perhaps, learns to fill her time with something more valuable.
Relationships: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep & Shadowsan, Julia "Jules" Argent & Player, Julia "Jules" Argent & Shadowsan, Julia "Jules" Argent/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Player & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep
Comments: 64
Kudos: 202





	1. Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> Good evening, my fellow frogs! I've been in love with this show since the first season came out, and I was SO HAPPY with season 4! It wasn't perfect or anything, but it was good, and it made me hApPy. As a typical response to consuming media that made me excited, I had to write some fanfiction. So... behold! I hope y'all enjoy this, and comments and kudos are always appreciated.  
> Happy reading!

Julia’s ankles were cold, but she guessed that was the price that one had to pay when they wanted to pair their new blue blazer with fashionably cuffed jeans. Technically, she was deviating from her usual uniform, just a little bit, but if her fool of a partner got to run around in his skinny, striped ties that matched his socks (only his socks, not any other part of the outfit), then she could get away with jeans, just for one night. Besides, there were no galas to blend in with, no need to comply with the fashion sensibilities of an unreasonably wealthy group of people, only a local art museum in New Mexico to inspect and enjoy. They would receive a new collection of carvings from an establishment a little farther north, and display a select number of works from Georgia O’Keeffe. She and Devineaux were merely checking in, making sure that the place seemed prepared enough to show such works. At any rate, it was rather doubtful that VILE would send anyone for something this small and this local. Still, it never hurt to be excessively thorough.

For now, Julia was leaning against a rail out by the front of the museum, gazing just to the left of the cluster of parked cars at the jagged mountains that had begun to swallow the sun. The museum would close within the next few minutes, but of course, Devineaux had dashed back in, keen to ask about convenient restaurants, even after Julia had assured him that it was a rather fruitless effort: they were museum staff, not particularly knowledgeable on the best Turkish restaurants within five blocks of a hotel they’d probably never heard of. If she’d learned anything in her time as his professional partner, though, he wouldn’t be about to give up on his newly determined task. She’d set a mental timer for herself, and decided that a good twenty minutes would be enough time for Devineaux to indulge his habits, before she inevitably googled it for the sake of simplicity. 

Julia felt herself start to wilt, her weight causing the brittle wood she leaned against to groan, a sign of its age. There, bathed in waning sunlight, stained in honied tones, Julia allowed herself to be exposed to reality. Late last night, when she and Devineaux had rolled into Albuquerque on rattling wings, hollow with jetlag left over from their last four flights, she really hadn’t let herself understand how drained she had become. As the past day, past few weeks, really sank into her aching head, Julia really understood how exhausted she was. Time grew irrelevant, and passed only in increments of assignments she was sent on. Different cities, the ones she’d passed through briefly, stood out as clear names in her head, but the images of them, what she had experienced there, stewed as some sort of muddied, distant slideshow. For the first time in just over a month, Julia wasn’t being rushed to catch a “criminal”, or inspect evidence, or feed into Devineaux’s conspiracies. Tonight, Julia melted back into the arid climate of the windswept desert, coming to terms with her few moments of silence.

And how brief those moments were-- as Julia had finally settled into a more relaxed stance, the doors behind her had burst open, and Agent Devineaux rushed out, frantically waving a piece of paper. 

“Ms.Argent! The person at the desk didn’t know too much about any Turkish restaurants, but there’s a French place down by the square that they said was pretty authentic! It’s… also a bead shop? It should be interesting if we can make it in time to ask for a reservation. We should probably get-” her fellow agent paused, tilting his head as he took in Julia’s exasperated expression.

“Sorry, I mean… umm. Were you busy.”

“Yes, Devineaux. I’m quite invested in staring at the sun.” She quirked an eyebrow, trying to be patient as her partner took a moment to catch up with the joke.

“Oh.” He shoved the paper at her. “This is a map of the square, and they circled the building. I could drive the car back to the lot, because it's basically halfway between here and our hotel. You could walk and maybe we could meet there? I hate to interrupt your… obligations.” Julia shook her head, before tilting it affectionately: Chase was becoming more empathetic, but remained typically dull. 

“Thanks, I think that could work.”

“Spectacular! I shall see you there soon!”

\---

Devineaux may have darted off to their sleek, if not a little dusty, car as soon as they settled this proposition, but Julia let herself linger for a few more moments. It was nice, her only obligation being a comfortable dinner with a colleague and a divine opportunity to spill a little extra company money. When she’d finally gathered the motivation, Julia dragged her feet, trailing the outside of the parking lot, fixated on the impressive skyline. Poitiers may have become home, but nothing compared to the rugged beauty of the purplish Rocky Mountains that stretched out before her. And, for once in her life, she had the opportunity to really take in their majesty. Her vague and rather distant wanderings along the outlined paths on the tourist map Devineaux had shoved into her hands was pleasant, and for this one night, Julia was allowed to forget her obligations as an ACME agent. 

As the square came into view when Julia turned a corner, the street lamps glowing softly under a navy sky, she shocked herself with a lack of surprise when she spotted a familiar red-clad figure faintly illuminated beneath the shades of dusk. She hesitated in the mouth of the quiet streets, with the only movement that really caught her eye were the occasional passerby filtering out of the park. She may have been in civilian wear, with a red-and-white t-shirt and high-waisted shorts, but after everything she’d been through, Julia would have recognized Carmen Sandiego anywhere. Even her red hood, tugged over her messy bun and shadowing her face, did little to dissuade Julia that this was the super-thief she had spent much of her profession hunting down. She felt no urge to capture her, or worse, contact her fellow agent.

Instead, Julia only shocked herself further when she locked her gaze with the other woman’s. She hated to admit it, but she could feel her face flush. She hoped the poor lighting did enough to hide this from her acquaintance. It wasn’t often that she was presented with the opportunity to sit down with this crimson shadow, and she really hadn’t had the chance to see her after the train ride so many months ago. Julia let her mind linger on that occasion, debating what course of action to take; all the while, Carmen remained watchful. When they’d spoken last, Carmen had been kind, a little presumptuous, and not in the slightest bit the deceptive, deceitful criminal that Chase believed her to be. Should she go up to Carmen? Julia wasn’t sure why they’d spoken on the train, and if the thief wanted anything to do with her. Logically, it might be  _ worse _ if Julia made any effort towards interacting with her publicly. Perhaps, she should have left it alone.

Of course, that wasn’t really what happened, because Carmen was perceptive-- she caught on to Julia’s hesitation quite quickly, rising from the bench and strolling towards her. Julia stood, wide eyed, as Carmen maintained her casual stance, sucking in a breath when the other came to stand beside her. Julia stood there, in her flat shoes, Carmen in her red converse, and it took her a moment to let their height difference sink in. Letting out a shuddering exhale, Julia turned her gaze upwards.

“Hey, Jules.”

\---

Julia must have been blushing down to her neck at the mere greeting, and was in that moment, endlessly grateful for the high collar of her blazer that concealed this reaction. Carefully, she steeled her expression, and breathed out an even,

“Good evening, Ms.Sandiego.” The agent certainly wasn’t expecting a chuckle as a response, and tried to keep her composure. 

“You don’t look like you’re on a job, we can lose the formalities. Though, I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

“Expecting me?” Julia believed that the surprise in her voice was warranted.

“Sure. I wouldn’t be taking the time to pass through Santa Fe just for the pigeons, would I?” Julia shrugged at that. Still, she found it odd that her adversary in the workplace would know how to find her here.

“Are there perhaps some  _ other _ thieves that need to be caught tonight?” Carmen shook her head, a few more strands falling out of her poorly secured hair tie. Her hood shifted back a bit, revealing dark circles looming beneath her tattered lash line. 

“Everyone’s gotta take a break at some point, don’t they, Jules?” Before the agent could offer her reply, she heard a quiet sputtering, before Carmen reached to pluck one of her stud earrings from her lobe. She shoved it in her pocket, before reaching out to tug on the cuffs of Julia’s sleeve, setting them in a slow stroll.

“You don’t look very relaxed for someone who’s on a vacation, Ms.Sandiego.” This offered the woman in red some pause, and she hesitated.

“No,” she settled on. “I guess not.” It may have been in the way that her shoulders drooped, or the way the corners of her eyes were tugged every-so-slightly downwards by fatigue, but Carmen seemed so much younger. Julia had really only ever known her as a phantom, the indestructible figure she would spend hours toiling over the best way to get her into ACME’s custody. Now, though, she looked like any number of people wandering down the streets at dusk, if not a bit more weathered. She still had yet to drop the edges of Julia’s cuff, a slender thumb and index finger wound into the cotton (Julia made no move to pull away).

The two wandered about rather aimlessly, until Julia made towards one of many benches cast in the golden smoldering of another street lamp. She sat down first, waiting for Carmen, who eventually followed suit. 

“Why did you wait for me, Ms.Sandiego?” 

“Carmen will do fine.”

“Alright then, Carmen, why were you waiting here?” The younger of the two hesitated again, her brow creased. (Regretfully) Carmen dropped Julia’s sleeve.

“You,” she said the word with conviction. “Jules, you know what’s going on, don’t you? VILE must think me to be in association with ACME, and ACME believes I’m working for VILE, but you know something more, don’t you?” Julia shrugged.

“It’s always odd how the things you ‘steal’ find their way to exactly the place they need to be.” If Julia looked hard enough, she could catch the slow pinching at the corner of Carmen’s lips: a smile.

“Yeah, really odd.” Julia let her fingers twine into a fist, before cautiously letting one hand rest on the seam of Carmen’s hood. She made no move to pull it off; her gesture was phrased merely as a question. When the thief let her own hands come up, one brushing tentatively against Julia’s own, she pulled the hood down. Julia let her hand drop slowly, and took in her eidolon. Up close, Carmen’s dark skin held the warm light like amber, but her typically silver eyes looked more stony tonight. Her lips, painted crimson, held a small smile, but what she showed was honest. One hand went to fish about in her jacket, and replaced the stud in her ear. The sigh she breathed was uncharacteristically wistful.

“Jules, I think I should get going.” Carmen’s eyes darted downward reflexively, before scanning the walkways surrounding them. “And I think you have somewhere to be, too.” The thief didn’t wait for a response, really, she didn’t have to. Carmen Sandiego walked away, still withered if not a little brighter, and Julia offered a declaration:

“I’ll see you later, Carmen.”


	2. Low Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia manages to run into her favorite super-thief again, and never fails to be surprised by Carmen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening, my fellow frogs! I've really, really been enjoying writing this, so I'll try and update this as often as possible! While I can't speak so much for the last chapter and when it took place, I can say that this one happens almost immediately after s2 e4. I hope y'all enjoy this, and your support has meant the world to me!  
> Happy reading!

Often, Julia prided herself on being a humble, reasonable person, but now, she allowed herself to be the exact opposite: after a rather intense and unexpected turn of events, Julia had found herself dragged up onto a catwalk, hand in hand with Carmen Sandiego, for all of her fellow ACME agents to see. With the super-thief's signature red, oversized fedora slapped haphazardly over her head, she’d managed to walk alongside Carmen herself, and four rather out-of-it models. One must understand that Julia’d had her suspicions for months now, but after seeing the supposed criminal she’d been sent to capture rescue the Renaissance-era gowns she would have stolen, only cemented her beliefs that Carmen was no villain, merely a thief her organization had yet to understand. 

Oh, the satisfaction she’d felt in contrast to Agent Zari’s agitated shock, when Chief had called Sandiego her “partner”. Zari was a good person, really, Julia didn’t doubt that, but she leaned too heavily into the idea that Carmen was some sinister, scheming phantom. She may have appreciated that her fellow agent didn’t regularly destroy expensive company property, or abandon her to chase after shadows, or get their head lost in conspiracies, but in some ways, she missed Devineaux. Zari lacked his quirky (awkward) sense of charisma, and besides, Julia always managed to get just a bit closer to the thief she was tasked with arresting when she worked with that lunatic. But tonight, against all odds, she had triumphed, and better yet, confirmed her own hope that Carmen wasn’t what everyone else seemed to believe her to be.

Zari, unlike her former colleague, did not walk her back to their hotel. Not for the first time, Julia was permitted to wander back to the place she’d be staying in silence. It was odd, how still the streets of a bustling, foregin city could seem after one had spent their work day battling criminals. For all the bright lights, alluring scents and enticing sounds that filled the landscape around her, Julia was in her own world, somewhere far from the glowing streets of Milan. She’d resigned herself to recounting the past few hours, and perhaps most importantly, her time spent with Carmen. Julia would admit to regularly losing track of time, for the burden of jet lag seemed a constant one in her life now, and she could never remember how awake she was really supposed to be. Too often, she felt like she was living her own life, only just removed, like an influential spectator rather than herself. This often led to her flipping through the events of the day in the same way one sifts through old polaroids: though the images of the day’s happenings were slightly faded at this point, Julia still managed to focus on the mental picture of Carmen’s face. 

Especially when considering what her job was, Julia knew that she shouldn’t have let herself become quite so fixated on her adversary, but really, what could anyone have expected of her? Two months ago, in the cradle of dusk, isolated on what could have been the only bench in the world, Carmen had spoken to  _ her _ . That had to mean something, didn’t it? Rounding a corner and spotting her building, Julia shook her head-- it was all too like herself, to find something new and interesting, only for it to grow into an obsession. The problem was, Julia had never felt quite like this for any  _ person _ , and certainly never a professional enemy. Despite her best wishes, she knew that this could come to cause her problems in the future. As she pushed through the doors to the lobby, Julia tried to drop the weight of the day from her shoulders.

The building was a simple one: clean and modern and purely functional. ACME had yet to send her to a particularly nice place to stay over in while she was on assignment, but she supposed that that was fitting. The lobby was similar to the exterior, decorated with whites, greys and highlighted with the emerald greens of houseplants boasting their presence by any available windows. It wasn’t a very homey place (Julia would have put in warmer tones, a good red or gold could have done the place some good), but it served its purpose, and was nice enough. It would sufficiently hold her over before she was flown out on her next task. The only other thing that really caught her eye as she made her way to the elevator was how empty the place was: Julia hated to admit it, but with how distant her new work partner was, and how limited her contact with the outside world was, Julia had grown lonely.

Shuffling into the elevator and lazily poking at the appropriate buttons, Julia slumped. The doors groaned closed at a painfully slow pace, allowing her to take in her surroundings, which were dingy and plain and not much more exciting than the thousands of elevators she must have been in throughout her life. These doors, outdated and ill-maintained, offered only one perk: Julia was given just a moment to glance beyond the elevator, beyond the lobby, and to the entrance, where a figure clad in red hesitated, their gaze fixed clearly on her own. Julia had never run out of an elevator quite so quickly. 

\---

Perhaps Julia had overlooked the benefits of an empty lobby before, because it made for a most convenient place to march right up to Carmen Sandiego, before stumbling into an awkward silence. They may have only just seen each other a few hours prior, but it had been so long since Julia’d had a moment alone with the other woman. Carmen was too good at what she did, and this meant that they’d go for months before getting to interact outside of their professional obligations. Besides, time had since become useless to Julia, and served only to hinder her from reaching the things she really wanted in life.

The problem was that Julia had spent far too much time speculating if she’d get another moment alone with Carmen, but now that she finally had the opportunity to just take in her presence, the agent had no idea what to do with herself. Her painfully empty hands began to fidget with themselves, her eyes wandering bashfully to her own scuffed shoes. Typical to their usual dynamics, Carmen broke the silence first.

“Even off the runway, you look so nervous.”

“Oh, be quiet, not everyone can manage to subtly prance around in red for a living; confidence can be hard to come by for the average person.” Julia shocked herself with this outburst, and she must have surprised Carmen, too. The taller woman let out a stifled laugh, reaching a gloved hand up to remove her hat. With the shadows scrubbed from her face, Carmen looked radiant, and unfortunately, Julia couldn’t hide the fact that she’d turned to match the shade of Carmen’s coat.

“Sure, sure, but you’re  _ not _ average.”

“Really?” Carmen raised her eyebrows, like whatever she had going on in her head was obvious.

“C’mon Jules, really? You work for a secret agency determined to undermine VILE and constantly get in the way of my own efforts. You’ve probably been half-way around the entire world at this point. You don’t think that’s  _ average _ , do you.” Julia’s gaze returned to her shoes, quickly becoming fascinated with a slight discoloration on her leather flats. 

“No, I guess not.” Carmen was patient with her, running a hand through her wild hair as she waited for Julia to really engage with her. However, her hesitation must have taken too long.

“Look, I’d love to stand here all day, but I kinda stick out like a sore thumb. Got anywhere a little more out of the public eye that we could talk?” Julia flushed again, catching on to her mistakes perhaps a beat too slowly.

“Oh, yes, certainly. Sorry, I really should have thought of-”

“Calm down, no one’s been hurt,” Carmen’s smile was warm, genuine. There were no signs of frustration etched into her features, only curiosity. Julia swallowed down her nerves and nodded, turning back to the elevator. “I just want to spend a little time with you, preferably somewhere where your scary new partner won’t come chasing after me.” Julia laughed lightly, urging Carmen to follow her.

“That’s easily understandable. Come with me.”

\---

Sure, Julia may have been in worse elevator rides in her life, but this one held the potential for certainly becoming the most awkward. She was frustrated by how pitifully nervous she was, but she’d been isolated from much of the human race for so long now, that it seemed rather unfair for anyone to expect her to be capable of coherent speech,  _ especially _ when in the presence of someone like Carmen. So, this time, as Julia went through the same process of lazily prodding a few buttons until they lit up, she kept her back straight, before turning to the woman in red. Sometime in the past few hours, Carmen had found the time to change out of her dress and into her usual black underclothes and signature scarlet hat and coat. Though, it seemed to Julia that no matter what she was wearing, Carmen appeared effortlessly beautiful.

With Julia’s job mostly centered around observing valuable, historical artifacts of great cultural significance, some works of art had begun to lose their magic. When she’d first been recruited, and Chief would hand her priceless works of art with disinterest, Julia’s mind had been blown. As an avid history nerd who made it her job to know as much about  _ everything _ that one reasonably could, Julia had been shocked each time such an artifact found its way into her hands. Often, they’d be inspecting original pieces to see if they’d been tampered with after a heist where VILE had involved their operatives. However, the thrill began to fade as it happened more and more regularly, until Julia regarded it with mild interest, and good only in the sense that it would get her out of other forms of paperwork. This was not to say that she didn’t still have a great appreciation for the many different pieces she observed on a daily basis, it’s just… they began to lose some of their glamour when the works of Monet or ancient gold figures from Mesoamerica were half-shielded by old files and tacky paper-weights. However, in her life thus far, Julia knew one truth: no matter how often she fraternized with her, Carmen Sandiego never lost her spark of mystery and undeniable beauty.

Julia admired Carmen, but if their few interactions had done anything to change her perception of the thief, it only made her  _ more _ likable. While still impressive, Carmen no longer felt untouchable, only aspirational. So, with this in mind, Julia turned her eyes towards Carmen, who’d taken to gently holding her hat in stiff hands, thumbs brushing anxiously against the brim.

“I don’t know how you manage to do this every night, Sandiego.” The taller figure lost some of her rigidity, and Carmen laughed softly. Her hands stilled.

“Well, I guess you’ve lost the formality, but really, I like my first name more than any other part of my title.” Julia shrugged at that, making an aborted attempt to correct herself.

“Carmen, sure, I’ll… remember that. Still, this work exhausts me.”

“I get it, but it beats any desk-job I’m sure fills the other half of your time.” Julia shrugged at that. 

“That’s true. And,” Julia let her words become more deliberate with such a pause. “I enjoyed a break from the routine, you know?”

“For me, this  _ is _ routine. But, it is nice to have my favorite ACME agent along for the ride, isn’t it.” Julia really needed to get control of herself, because for what had to be the hundredth time that night, she felt her cheeks heat and her lips fight a smile. Desperate to match Carmen’s own equanimity, she breathed out an honest,

“Yeah, real fun.” Though both of them may have felt the soft shuddering as the elevator stilled itself, and the very slow, very loud groaning of the doors opening, Julia stood still for just a moment longer. Carmen matched her cadence, holding Julia’s gaze with something rather unfamiliar to the agent, but something that still resonated as distinctly human.

\---

Once they made it to her hotel room, Julia went about her usual procedures with a bit more focus this time around: she bolted, latched and chained the door shut, double-checked that all the windows were locked, before tugging the blinds closed. Carmen had switched on a few lights around the room, but none of the harsh overhead LED’s. All of the sudden, the space that Julia had come to know as a purely functional one grew to something soft and intimate. Julia shook that thought away, as it was probably the last thing she should have been thinking of. If Carmen had gone through all the trouble to seek her out like this, then she  _ must _ have had important information to relay to Julia. So with the perimeter secured, the agent turned around, only to see the thief hanging up her coat in the tiny closet just by the entryway to the room.

Julia busied herself with taking off her shoes, but Carmen had set down her hat on a coffee table and was marching over to the couch (really, it was just a wide chair, but who was Julia to judge?). She slumped into its cushions, before fiddling with her earlobe, muttering something Julia couldn’t quite make out. Carmen would pause, brows furrowing as she contemplated whatever she must have heard, before spitting back a hissed reply. A faint voice could be heard in the room, clearly the one that Carmen was talking to. Julia observed this exchange with interest, and Carmen caught her staring. The thief’s cheeks went dark, glancing at the floor as she muttered in a more frantic tone before tugging out her studs and stuffing them in her pocket. With that resolved, she turned back to Julia, her cheeks still dusted dark red, and offered a strained smile.

“Soooo, does this place have Netflix?” Well, now it was Julia’s turn to laugh, her hand covering her mouth. She didn’t want to be rude, but really? She guessed Netflix must have been  _ really _ important if Carmen was going to make it her conversation starter.

“Carmen,” Julia breathed around hysterics, making sure to emphasize each sound of the name. “You walk down a runway, probably in front of hundreds of reporters and international television, steal renaissance gowns, get into an underground warehouse to fight off mind-controlled models, escape, find me, follow me and jeopardize  _ both _ of our cover, plop down in my hotel room, and the first thing you ask for is  _ Netflix _ ?” Perhaps the worst part of this exchange was that Carmen had the audacity to look confused. Julia shook her head again, giggling until her eyes watered with mirth.

“I, um-” Carmen grew more flustered, her brows creasing in the middle as she averted her eyes. “I could leave. I mean, HBO would have been fine, too, I just wanted to-” Julia sat herself down beside Carmen, squishing her over to the other side of the oversized chair until they could both fit, waving her hand absently until she quieted herself.

“Really, it’s fine, but it’s so weird to get the Miss of Misdemeanor locked down in one place, only for her to ask for television.” At this Carmen crossed her arms, frowning at Julia, but at least her eyes were playful.

“Don’t blame me: I’m always on the run, and Player won’t let me watch television, says it’s bad for my morals and some shit. Oh,” Carmen remembered. “He also thinks it’ll make me swear more, and that it wouldn’t be good for my ‘developing mind.’” She did finger quotes with the end of her sentence. Julia smiled warmly, reaching for the remote.

“Player’s the one in your earrings, right?” 

“Umm, yeah. He’s probably the best explanation for how I’ve evaded you for so long. I guess he’s my oldest friend.” Julia nodded at that. “Where’d you get that nickname, anyway?”

“Chief's got a whole plethora of things she likes to call you. I don’t remember most of them, but I must say, I do enjoy some good internal rhyme and alliteration.” Carmen laughed.

“Of course you would.” Though the words were probably meant to be teasing, they came out lighthearted and… a lot slower than Julia expected. The look Carmen had fixed on her was- was- very affectionate, and certainly not something the agent had anticipated. Her own eyes widened, and Carmen snickered, bumping their shoulders together.

“Calm down, Jules, it’s just a joke.” The thief did not move away from her, and Julia said nothing about it. Instead, having finally found a comfortable way to sit, with her legs half crossed, and half tucked under herself, Julia flicked on the television.

“Oh,” Carmen remarked, her voice hair-raisingly close to Julia’s ear. “We could watch some awful soap operas. It’s been so long since I’ve seen anything quite that bad on purpose.”

“Maybe, if we can find anything like that.” 

It was really peaceful, getting to flip through various news channels, ads, sports, and the usual works in the aureate light, the warm, reassuring weight of her adversary pressed against her side. Julia was finally present for her own life, and it was wonderful. Perhaps the worst thing about all of that, though, was that the sayings held up: beauty was fleeting, and before they could even settle on which channel to stick with, Carmen shifted, popping an earring back in with an exasperated, 

“Yes, Player?” Julia only heard half of the conversation, but she knew that the person on the other end of Carmen’s comms wouldn’t have much time to wait around for her, anyways. As Carmen shifted away from her, grumbling to Player in the same way a frustrated child does to their parent, Julia tried to squash the anxiety that bubbled up about her lungs. All she could do for now was hope that, much like last time, she could receive some sort of reassurance that Carmen may one day return for her.

Julia was tugged quite literally from her thoughts, when the thief wrapped a hand around her slender wrist, and dragged her over to the door with her. Carmen spun around, wild auburn hair doing little to hide the woman’s disappointment. Carmen let her thumb press gently against Julia’s pulse, and the agent returned the sentiment.

“Jules, I’m really sorry to cut this short. My team, they found something that could really be a game changer for us, but I’ll be back, eventually.” Julia bit her lip, nodding.

“Alright. Just,” she sucked in a trembling breath. “You’ve got to stay safe, okay?” Carmen’s red lips were pulled into a smile, something strained but sincere.

“I do my best. You stay safe, too, and maybe… maybe I’ll see you soon.” Julia squeezed Carmen’s wrist. She really wasn’t sure  _ what _ was going on right now, what their interactions could be called, what  _ they _ could be called. Now, it didn’t matter, though, because Carmen had to walk away. Again.

Carmen flipped up the collar of her coat, and tugged the brim of her hat just a bit lower, before raising her head to look at Julia one last time. Her eyes glowed silver despite the low lighting, and Julia felt her own blush grow bright again. Not one to be predictable, Carmen pulled Julia closer, brushing her hat against the agent’s head as she pressed her lips high on her pale cheekbones. Carmen pushed something in Julia’s hand before spinning around, unlatching all the locks, and offering her parting words.

“Good night, Jules.”

\---

Julia turned glossy eyes down to the hand that wasn’t occupied with pressing into her overheated cheek, specifically, the one that had been lit ablaze by Carmen’s touch. There, caged behind slender fingers, Julia discovered a simple crane, with a messy,  _ ‘I’ll be back, I promise’ _ scrawled on the wings, signed off with a single, ornate ‘ _ C’ _ . Julia felt her heart flutter behind her ribcage, and pressed the paper close to her chest. 


	3. Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmen goes searching for the agents tailing her after her return from Dubai, and finds a pleasant surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening, my fellow frogs! I'm posting this at midnight because... I'm impatient. First off, I'd like to give credit to C418 for making me a very prolific writer, and their music is just... the peak of good things. I'll also offer some passive-aggressive credit to my English teacher, who's making me read Romeo and Juliet, which as you shall see, heavily inspired this chapter. I had so much fun writing this one, and I really hope you guys like it! If you've got the time, I'd recommend listening to Mice on Venus, Taswell and Dead Voxel from C418, because they're so freaking GOOD. Okay, enough of my ramblings, and happy reading!

Carmen knew she was being followed, it wasn’t that hard to tell after one had been in this sort of business for as long as she had. After flying back in from Dubai, she was laying over in Los Angeles before heading down to Sandiego to reconvene with the rest of her team. Normally, she would have been back with them by now, but she’d noticed her tail when she’d touched down, what with the occasional reappearance of the same few people who were dressed in the same exact suits. Really, was ACME ever going to get creative with their uniforms, or perhaps realize the purpose of a disguise? Sure, Carmen had her iconic coat and hat, but that didn’t mean she wore it absolutely  _ everywhere _ . Though, she wasn’t complaining: after all, a few people dressed in their finest suits, bumbling about LAX weren’t that hard to spot, and thus, not that hard to avoid. 

Yesterday, after giving Zack and Ivy the okay to head back and start settling into their new place, Carmen had all but disappeared. Player had booked her a clean, inconspicuous room at a cheap hotel on the edges of the county, where she’d lay low until those bluecoats let up. At that point, she’d already been holed up for almost a day, with little to do. Carmen folded cranes, practiced her penmanship and chatted with Player to try and pass the time, but she quickly found out that none of that did anything to make her isolation seem less grueling. Even though Player said that she could watch television, and had even gone through the systems to make sure the place wasn’t bugged, or that she wasn’t being remotely monitored, Carmen just couldn’t pick anything to watch. The place had no Netflix, no HBO, and nobody to scroll through soaps with. It was living hell.

After a while, even Player couldn’t stay with her and keep up with her peculiar antics, having to go silent to try and grab a few hours of sleep.

“But it’s three in the afternoon in Ontario.”

“Yeah, it’s basically the  _ best _ time to nap. Really, Carmen, you should know this.”

“I don’t think  _ you _ should have an ideal nap time. Go outside, or sleep at a normal time or something. I can’t believe that you have the ego, the  _ impertinence _ to determine whether or not I -- a grown adult -- is allowed to watch television, and yet you’re going for a two hour nap at three in the afternoon?”

“Red, seriously, you know I maintain this lifestyle just so you don’t get your ass kicked all the time, right?” Player’s tone was light, trying not to get Carmen too upset, but she could understand what he was hinting at.

“Yeah, sure… sorry for keeping you up so late. I’ll see you at midnight, you fiend.”

“Shut up, Red! Jeeze, I could just leave you and-” there was a rustling of papers for a moment, Player was clearly searching for some sarcastic comeback. “-and I’ll just go do my homework!” Carmen laughed at how smug he sounded, shaking her head fondly. The kid was crazy, but not too different from herself. 

“Yeah, you really got me. Look, I don’t want to keep you from your beauty sleep, but remember, school starts at midnight, and it’d be awful if you happened to be late.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll hear from you tonight Red. And seriously, Carmen,” Player had become much more serious, almost cautious. “Don’t do anything too crazy, and do  _ not _ get into any trouble.”

“Go to bed kid, it must be getting late. Someone told me that three o’clock is like, the perfect time to take a nap, so-”

“Christ, I’ll go to bed. G’night Carmen, and remember-”

“I know, I know. I promise I’ll be safe.”

“Great, thank you so much. Now, farewell!” Player called out his exit before dramatically cutting the line, and Carmen smiled to herself. It was nice, having someone who probably was incapable of ever wronging anyone in their life on her side. Player, no matter the troubles she’d been through, had stood by her through thick and thin, and brought her back from her darkest places. Really, Carmen felt bad, and didn’t want to be a burden on the poor kid, but his friendship was invaluable.

Unfortunately for them both, he was a human being, who required sleep, and had to leave Carmen alone with her own thoughts for the next few hours. It was just past eight, the sun only just swallowed by the sea, and Carmen was infallibly restless. Currently, she was in a city full of incompetent rich people, this was a playground for thieves as high-brow as her. She knew she was the good guy, and was not about to abuse her powers, especially without the supervision of Player (he’d never leave her unattended for a second if he discovered that she’d used her precious free time to plunder wealthy idiots), but she had to do  _ something _ , and her hotel room was getting really boring. She’d even go out in full uniform, and check out her surroundings. 

Perhaps, Carmen could even go check in on her lovely agents who seemed to be so hot on her trail. It was purely for experimental purposes. She’d be gathering information, figuring out who was after her, and her best way of shaking them from her scent. The thief was sick of tailoring her life (the past twenty-four hours) around their nagging presence, so she might as well gain the advantage over them, and leave them behind. So, Carmen dressed up in her iconic outerwear, and made sure she wouldn’t leave anything valuable or incriminating behind in the room. Even if it did feel a little “VILE” for her, Carmen did have to appreciate that having an HQ meant that she didn’t have to constantly lug around her most prized possessions to be discovered by some housekeeper, and could instead travel with only the necessary items while her trinkets and sentimental items were safe with Zack and Ivy. She grabbed a keycard, shoving it into an internal pocket in case she wanted to enter her room like a normal person later. She made sure to gather a few wads of cash, any electronic devices Player had sent with her, as well as a few cranes and the origami lotus that she’d made after a call with Shadowsan last night.

With her pockets expertly filled with very important items, Carmen slipped out of her window, falling easily among the foliage only one floor below her own. With darkness easing in on her heels, Carmen wandered off in a most productive fashion.

\---

It didn’t take too much searching once Carmen was in the right part of town. The ACME insignia, which they (for some horrible reason) liked to print onto all of their vehicles wasn’t that hard to track down, and Carmen discovered a few of their cars parked outside of some fancy economic hotel. Unfortunately, without Player to guide her, Carmen really had no idea which room the bluecoats were hidden in, but she could walk the perimeter to see if they’d been intuitive enough to leave an ACME flag in the window or something. As casually as one dressed in brilliant scarlet from head to toe could, Carmen made her way around the perimeter. There were a lot of balconies up on the third and fourth floors, so she checked those, too, looking through binoculars and subtly glancing around blinds in the rooms that still had lights on. 

Carmen had almost made it all the way around the building, having discovered no signs of the agents thus far, she rounded a hedge. She could hear the glass door to one of the balconies be slid open, letting the chatter of whatever was inside briefly slip into the outside world. Carmen ducked into the cover of the extravagant, rectangular foliage around her, crouching in wait. The door was quickly slammed behind whoever had just come outside, and Carmen watched nervously to see if they’d look down to discover her. Silver eyes trained on the edge of the balcony, Carmen held her breath as she waited.

Slowly, delicate hands draped themselves over the edge of the platform, before one was propped up, and the person laid their head in their hand. As Carmen heard the person sigh, their exhale trembling, she slowly stepped out from the hedge. Carmen was intuitive, one had to be when in a business like hers, but it would be just that much more gratifying to have her suspicions confirmed. Slowly, as she stepped to a place where she could catch a better glimpse of the person a few floors over her head, Carmen felt her own breath grow heavy and still in her lungs.

In the balmy warmth of midsummer, backlit by a golden glow, Julia had half draped herself over the parapet of her balcony. Her skin glowed like pearls under the soft lighting that surrounded her, and her black eyes glittered among the stars. Carmen Sandiego was left breathless, helpless, enamored as she looked upon the agent. While her beauty wasn’t the only reason Carmen regarded Jules as her favorite agent, it was certainly a wonderful trait that the woman possessed. As the breeze toyed with the tops of the trees, Julia’s short hair was gently tossed about, her dark gaze cast out at the obscured stars above. Even though the city’s light pollution outshined much of the night sky, Carmen knew that Julia would be exceptional at seeking out the few pinpricks of celestial fire among the dull hues of the artificial glare. Oh, to hell with the stars, or the street lamps, Julia was brighter than them all.

Perhaps the best moment of all was when Julia busied the hand that wasn’t busy with propping her head up with plucking something from her pocket. Enclosed in her slender fingers was the same red crane Carmen had left with her after their last visit. It’d only been a month ago, and Carmen  _ had _ promised that she’d return soon. The thief exhaled softly in the night, twilight now resting on her shoulders. After a brief session of internal deliberation, Carmen chose to reveal herself, stepping into Julia’s line of sight before gazing up at her. She didn’t even have to call her name, not even once, and Julia’s eyes were already upon her. Carmen grinned, noting the way her cheeks began to glow with heat, raising a hand in greeting. The woman above seemed to give in to her initial reaction at first, a soft smile carving her pink lips, before it fell quickly. She glanced back inside, hesitant.

Carmen hated to admit it, but she could feel pressure build up around her heart, anxiety plucking at her arteries. Julia certainly wasn’t alone, and whoever was inside would probably be happy to blast that weird, blue chloroform gas in her face, before running off with her to whatever sacred hideout ACME kept all their prisoners. Briefly Julia darted inside. From where she stood, Carmen could hear a rather harsh conversation that slowly trailed off, before a heavy door was slammed shut. Locks clicked, blinds were drawn, and the sliding glass door was thrown open again. Julia poked her head out from behind the edge of her balcony, calling softly, 

“Carmen? Carmen, what’re you doing here?” The thief checked her surroundings one last time, before responding.

“I knew I’d picked up a tail, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to find you here.”

“Carmen, come where I can see you. The other agents don’t have windows that look out to the back here. No one will see you, or at least, no one that could recognize you.” Slowly, with hushed wind curling around her figure, Carmen looked up at Julia. The rational part of her mind suggested that she try and communicate from where she stood, safely veiled behind shadows and shrubberies, but something far more persistent insisted that she step out to meet Julia. Finally, brilliant crimson had light shed upon it, and Carmen tilted back the brim of her hat, revealing her face. Julia beamed.

“That’s much better, but really,  _ we’re _ following  _ you _ , so why’d you come to investigate?” Carmen shrugged, mischief etched into her features.

“I guess I got bored, and I’m sick of being pinned down in this place.”

“That would make sense, I doubt you’re one who’s too pleased by staying in the same spot for too long.” Carmen nodded.

“Though, it is nice to run into a friendly face, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. I don’t understand why Chief sent us after you, we all know how quickly you’ll evade us, but it’s always good to see Ms.Sandiego herself, even if she escapes.” Carmen smiled at that, pondering her next words for a moment.

“Jules?” The agent above paused at that, noting the way Carmen’s tone had grown softer yet.

“Carmen?”

“I’m sorry I left last time, I didn’t- I just…” 

“It’s alright, really, I don’t blame you for anything. Duty calls, and we live demanding lives.” Bashful, Carmen averted her eyes, tugging her hat from her head. She knew that her hair would have been sparked into a frenzy from that, and awkwardly tried to smooth it down.

“I know, but I still feel bad. I… you went through all the trouble to make sure everything was safe, and then I just- well, you know.” Above her, Julia shook her head, sympathetic.

“Carmen, it’s really not good to hold so much guilt surrounding this. I understand that you had no ill intent. Besides, you made good on your word, and I think that’s the most important thing of all, don’t you?” The woman in red nodded, slumping her shoulders slightly, relieved. Carmen was nervous, and hesitated for far too long, leaving Julia to fill the silence.

“I’ve missed you, Carmen.” Her head shot up at that.

“You mean it?”

“Seriously? Of course I do. I’m not one to play the long game, and Zari is getting on my nerves. So, yes, I’ve missed the one person who really-- I don’t know-- doesn’t try to constrict me.” Carmen’s heart sank at that: it was so nice to see Julia again, but she knew that she was the cause of her suffering. The thief knew what she had to do, and why she did it, but couldn’t help but feel bad for putting the other through so much trouble. 

“I’m sorry, I know how difficult it can be to work with people who work so hard to be this frustrating.” Julia laughed softly.

“I’m sure you do.” She let her sentence taper off sweetly, letting her eyes take in Carmen's reverent form. Carmen looked to her as her beacon, and had put little effort into subtly tonight. The thief liked to think that the other woman enjoyed that. 

“I miss you, Carmen.”

“But Jules, I’m right here.” Julia shook her head, small brows creasing.

“Even now, you seem so far away. I wish I could be down there with you.” Carmen hesitated briefly. She had to admit, getting to stand closer to Julia would be wonderful, but they needed to be safe: Carmen was without the support of her team, or even the voice of Player, and Julia had a whole task force of her fellow agents just a few doors down. Perhaps the risk  _ was _ worth taking: Carmen’s team was like the family she’d never dreamed she’d ever deserve, but Julia, she may have been something more. Besides, their past two visits hadn’t ended in disaster, and Carmen was bold. As long as time allowed for it, she may as well take advantage of this situation, too. Julia was on the third floor, with the balcony to the room above her own looming overhead and a few feet to the left. 

“Maybe,” Carmen began, raising her right hand and aiming. “I could come up and be with you.” With a brief ‘whoosh’ and the hiss of the line gaining tension, Carmen was launched upwards, ascending to the third floor balcony. At the last second, she detached her line, swinging her weight to the right, and landing just before a baffled Julia.

“Oh,” she breathed, pale cheeks tainted rosy. “I guess this works, too.” Curious, Julia reached out and relieved Carmen’s other hand of her fedora. Julia tucked the crane back into a pocket of her suit, before letting her fingers trace over the hat’s lining. After a while, she paused on the label tucked within.

“You know,” she raised her eyes, meeting Carmen’s stare with a smug one of her own. “I like the way you wear it more. It suits you.”

“Oh. Yeah, it’s a nice hat. It’s not the original, but it’s still-”

“I wasn’t talking about the hat,” Julia shook her head, letting her thumb pass over the tag, before stepping closer to the thief. “I was talking about your name.” Carmen let that sink in for a moment. When she really thought about it, she still had yet to give pretty much anyone the story behind her name. Even when she’d seen Gray on the train to Paris, she just mentioned that she’d rebranded herself, but never offered insight as to how she got her name. That long ago, it had been a frantic choice for the closest possible option, but now, years later, that name held something perhaps far more valuable. Still having yet to take notice of Carmen’s internal monologue, Julia continued.

“I knew you had a particular style, but I didn’t know you were  _ this _ dedicated to a brand.”

“I wish that were it, Jules.”

“Then why,” Julia looked up at her, dark eyes radiant and inquisitive. No one had ever really been this forward about this question of all things, and Carmen fumbled for a moment. “Why is this your name?”

“I… I’m not sure any more.”

“Oh.” The agent must have caught on to Carmen’s turmoil, offering a more sympathetic gaze. As the woman in red contemplated her possible explanations, Julia reached out to her. She guided the hat into Carmen’s hands, drawing her from her daze as petite, pale hands clasped her own shut. Julia let her own palms linger momentarily, before looking to Carmen again.

“You mentioned an ‘original’ hat, did that have something to do with it?” Carmen nodded.

“Yeah, yeah it did. When I first escaped from VILE, back when I was a kid, I took this hat and coat, and made a dash for it. I didn’t really, well- I didn’t have anything else for a name, so I went with literally the first thing I saw.” Carmen paused, considering the best way to tell Julia the next part. “I think I stuck with it for so long because it was the first thing that I ever really took from VILE, the first thing that wasn’t imposed on me. It was the first thing I ever gave to myself.” Julia squeezed her hands, encouraging.

“My name, it’s the first thing I’d ever had all to myself, it was my first triumph.” 

“Carmen, I think that’s lovely.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course. It’s the perfect claim to your independence. I… I really like your name.” Carmen flushed, jamming the hat back over her head, stuttering around a response.

“Oh, okay, thanks? Sorry, Jules, I’ve just never, well, you know…” Julia raised a hand, letting it rest at the brim of Carmen’s hat. Much like the first time this had happened, Julia’s actions were only suggestions, and she demanded nothing of the other woman. 

“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Carmen. I’m not going to make you tell me anything, but I’ll always be happy to listen to you.” Gently, two separate hands lifted the shadows of the bill from Carmen’s hat, and her silver eyes gleamed. Lowering her hands, Carmen plucked her black gloves from trembling hands, and shoved them in her pocket. She chewed at her lip. Cautious, just like Julia was, Carmen reached out to her. Her tired hands formed themselves around the nape of the agent’s neck, and the two simply stood there. Carmen let her calloused thumb trace circles on Julia’s ivory skin, while the shorter woman let her hand come to fall at Carmen’s waist, slipping into the opening of her coat.

“You’re amazing in ways that I’m sure I could never understand. You know that, right?” Julia laughed at that, her tittering hushed and private. 

“You always sound so lonely, I’m just doing my part. There’s nothing special to it, Carmen, I’m doing what any good person would.”

“No, I think you’re doing better.” Tentatively, Julia let her eyes meet Carmen’s, and she flushed under the dim lights of night. Her other hand dropped from Carmen’s hat, resting on Carmen’s shoulder, while Carmen threaded her own fingers through the short hair at the base of Julia’s skull. Sure, Carmen was one for surprises, for using the unexpected to her advantage, but that moment was too delicate, too  _ valuable _ for her to play such games with. Hell, she even got her own surprise, when Julia used her hold on Carmen to tug her closer to her own height, only to pause mere inches from Carmen’s face.

“I’m… Carmen, if I do this, you can’t make us both regret it.” Carmen let her eyes flutter shut.

“I couldn’t dream of doing such a thing, sweetheart.” Without waiting for any further preamble, Carmen let herself be tugged further into Julia’s hold, their lips pressing together at last. If Carmen really thought about it, she’d never really been this close with anyone. Sure, she and Player were tight, but he was a child, and she wasn’t insane, so their relationship was professional and platonic. The twins were really nice to her all the time: on the plane, Zack liked to lean on her while they played games and chatted about pipe dreams and unattainable ambitions, and Ivy basically lived her life hanging off her neck. Carmen never felt that she needed to explain any of herself to them, so she didn’t. This was fine, really, but the thief wanted to let Julia know so much, and had begun revealing more confidential parts of her history. Carmen was so endlessly grateful for the intimate moments she could share with Julia, and was so endlessly relieved that her intentions and actions were well received. Quickly, she felt Julia’s body melt into her own, and moved one of her hands to rest between her shoulder blades, curling them closer together. Christ, she could have stayed there all night, gifting tender kisses to the very woman assigned to capture her. Under the watch of the moon and the occasional, weary star, Carmen finally expressed her adoration.

\---

When Julia finally pulled away, cheeks pink and her chest heaving with heavy breaths, Carmen couldn’t look away, so she didn’t even bother with trying. Instead, she let her own forehead rest against the agent’s, still holding her close.

“I won’t regret this, Jules. Nothing’s gonna change that.”

“I sure hope not, because things certainly just got a lot more…”

“Complicated?” Carmen supplied, smirking at Julia.

“Sure, I guess you could say that. But Carmen, I need you to make sure that you won’t disappear into the night, abandoning me or anything.”

“I won’t, Jules, I swear I won’t.”

“Oh, you  _ swear _ you won’t.”

“Yeah, I  _ promise _ .” Julia averted her eyes at that, her lower lip being pulled under the strain of her teeth.

“Don’t promise me anything, please.”

“Why can’t I? You know I’ll make good on my word. I have thus far, what makes you think I’ll stop?” Julia shook her head.

“I don’t think you’ll stop  _ intentionally _ , but Carmen, look at us! You’re an internationally-wanted super-thief, and also my lead. What if… what if Chief got a hold of you, and I jeopardized your mission? What if we’re too far away, and we can’t contact each other. We both know VILE, you better than anyone else, you know what they may do to you if they caught you. I just… Carmen, I can’t be a burden to you.”

“But Jules, you’re not. Everyone’s got to take risks, and those risks look different for everyone. I’m willing to give this a try, to give you what you deserve. I know that we don’t control everything happening around us, but at least we have each other… right?” Julia looked up at her, eyes glossy, but her voice stable.

“Right. I’ll- I think I could be happy with you. But if you’re going to promise me anything, then you have to promise me you’ll do everything to come back to me in one piece, alright?” Carmen knew not to joke with her right now. Typically, she’d grow anxious and make some lighthearted joke of it, but Carmen knew how much effort it was taking Julia to ask for this reassurance.

“I promise you I will.”

“Good, that’s all I need.” More forward this time, Julia kissed Carmen once more, brief and chaste and so transparently content. She was quick to pull back, and let a hand come up to toy with the stray curls of Carmen’s hair.

“I’d have you stay longer if there weren’t these agents following you around, but I think it’s best if you go ahead and start making good on your promise.” Carmen understood. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t stay there all night, not when she was in such a vulnerable position.

“Okay, I will.”

“You know, I bet if you left early tomorrow morning and didn’t bother with plane tickets from LAX, your tail wouldn’t be able to pick up on your location.”

“Like I said, I’ll never be able to fully comprehend the vast expansion of your brilliance.” Julia giggled at that. Pressing one final, tender kiss to Julia’s lips, Carmen started to make her way over to the edge of the balcony.

“Stay safe, okay.”

“Of course I will. I always stick to my word.” Carmen hooked the prongs of her grappling hook to the edge of the barrier around the balcony, before stepping up on to it. She offered a mock salute to her lover, before tipping backwards off the edge, melting into the night. Julia stood there, watching the figure in red carve her way through the shadows, sighing a quiet,

“I’ll see you soon, Carmen.”


	4. Midnight Falling (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmen battles a foe, deals with an acquaintance, and is reunited with her lover, even if it's under unfortunate circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening, my fellow frogs! I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to post this; school has been rather difficult and time consuming lately, and has consequentially delayed my writing schedule. This chapter is a little... wild, to say the least. I love developing character relationships, and Devineaux annoys me in an enduring way, so I projected that onto Carmen.   
> TW for some violence in the beginning, as well as blood, and mentions of blood throughout the chapter.  
> Also, this is unrelated (and I never thought I'd ever have to say this...) but y'all, please don't steal my lines or work. I read a ton of stuff on a lot of different sites, so... please, please, please don't take my writing. Many thanks to all that have supported my progress this far, I am so endlessly grateful for every single person that has made it this far, and I hope you guys like where I'm taking the story! Comments and kudos are always appreciated.   
> That's all for now, and happy reading, froggies!

Carmen still thought of herself as perfectly capable, but it just so happened that she’d run into a rough patch, that was all. Everyone made mistakes, it just so happened that “mistakes” for Carmen, especially while she was on a caper, could result in fatal wounds or lost goods. For now, Camren was lucky, and only suffered from one of those ailments: the goods were safe in the train car below her, but Tigress was a relentless bitch, and continued to try and land blows on Carmen with her sharp claws. The red phantom was lucky that Tigress only had the stripes and knives to match her name, and none of the wit nor foresight, and believed that to be part of the reason either of them had yet to fall clear off the train. At the moment, the two were perched on the last passenger car, dancing about in a deadly performance of skill. They’d rattled over scenic valleys and chasms, making it this far, so Carmen was feeling pretty good, as far as these things usually went. She’d even managed to land a solid kick square to Tigress’ ribs, as well as a few slashes along her forearms, but nothing too bad. Carmen may have been willing to go to great lengths to keep VILE from success, but she wasn’t about to murder her old classmate. Unfortunately, though not very surprisingly, Tigress did not hold the same sentiment. Carmen had been, for the most part, holding her own. However, despite her capability, Carmen was suffering from a few deep gashes in her shoulders. In the glow of afternoon light, Carmen could feel cold air rushing past the cuts, cooling her back where blood was starting to run down it in hot droves. She was lucky that Tigress wasn’t particularly skilled, but she was impressively quick, landing scratch after scratch, trying to wear down Carmen’s defense with her rapid succession of attacks. However, the woman in red was desperately trying to use that to her advantage, taking pride in the way the operative’s strikes landed farther and farther from their mark with each attempt.

It wouldn’t be long before the Tramway du Mont Blanc pulled into the station, and Carmen wouldn’t have to hold off Tigress for much longer. Her foe wouldn’t attack in a place quite as heavily monitored or populated as the station, at which point the ambassador she was protecting would have the opportunity to walk free. Carmen hadn’t been expecting a full train fight this time around, because if she was, she would have brought her team with her. She’d only expected this to be a recon mission, heading out to check up on a few ambassadors and make sure that the environment was well handled. She’d been surprised to spot the dark stripes of her old classmate between the excited tourists, but Carmen hadn’t hesitated to jump into action, baiting her out to the top of the train, out of sight of the people, and in a vulnerable position. Now, she was stuck battling on a train in Chamonix, hundreds of miles from Sandiego, where Zack and Ivy were setting up, and even farther from South Africa, where Shadowsan was performing recon of his own. The only thing she  _ did _ have was Player’s sympathetic words of encouragement as Carmen continued to hold off Tigress. She could hear fear laced in his comments, and she understood why. Carmen was stranded without aid, and she knew that the kid hated being unable to help his friend when she was in peril. Lucky for them both, as the train curved around another bend, Tigress began to slip.

Carmen took this opportunity as soon as it presented itself, planting one foot firmly as the other one swung up high, hitting the operative square in the face. Tigress yelped, crumbling to the ground as she was temporarily blinded, her mask shattering. Carmen’s breaths heaved through her tired lungs, and Player shouted in encouragement. Carmen looked for her best opportunity, approaching her foe quickly, lodging her toe under Tigress’ hip, and pushing. They were passing over flatter ground now, and Carmen felt no shame in finally getting rid of this painful nuisance. However, the pale woman reacted quickly, one gloved hand curling around a shard of green glass. Just as Carmen finally got the right angle and began to heave Tigress from the roof of the train, her arm shot out, and the glass was rooted deep in Carmen’s calf. Running purely off of adrenaline, Carmen pushed with the last of her energy, sending a disparaging enemy off into the rocks below, despite the screaming protest of her leg. Her head feeling light, she whipped around. She knew that the station would be coming up soon, and highly doubted that she, a bleeding, mysterious lady from the top of a train car, would be very accepted in the crowd. Carmen was aware that Tigress would be out for the count, at least, long enough for the ambassador to get away, and need be, she herself could finally make an escape. In her ear, Player’s frantic voice became fainter and fainter and… oh. Carmen realized that something certainly was not right. Looking down, from around the glint of green glass, she discovered a steady stream of brilliant red streaming down her legging, and pooling about her feet. 

_ Shit _ . Quite literally, Carmen was slipping. She was exhausted, her nimble figure shaking and torn, and her vision began to fill with dark spots. She glanced behind herself, searching for a smooth place where she could make her escape. She knew this was dangerous, but Carmen was running out of options. She couldn’t let  _ anyone _ see her this broken, because Carmen only presented herself in red when she wanted to be red, never letting herself be slashed open like a doll in the public eye. Rounding another bend, Carmen slipped again, her body falling closer and closer to the edge of the car, and the station rattled into view. With tears bubbling around the edges of her eyes, and Player’s voice calling from somewhere so very far away, Carmen curled her body in such a way to protect her head and neck, and let herself be swung from the train. 

\---

As the vehicle finally lumbered past, leaving only stirred air and a reminiscent screeching behind, Carmen dragged herself to a cluster of wiry evergreen trees a few meters away. Tigress had to be at least a quarter mile behind her, and in an injured state, it was doubtful that she’d be going anywhere fast. While this gave Carmen a certain advantage, knowing that her enemy wouldn’t have the strength to hunt her down right now, she knew the same thing applied to her. Every instinct told her to pull the glass shard from her leg, but some forethought told her that she could only make the bleeding worse. Carmen struggled to plan out her next course of action. While going to a hospital may have been rational, she was nervous that ACME would find her, specifically any agent other than Julia. Worse, VILE could target her while she was vulnerable there, and in the end, there were just too many questions that would be asked that Carmen wouldn’t have a good answer for. She couldn’t really call for help, what with her team spread out so far away from her position. Admittedly, for the first time in a really, really long time, Carmen felt genuine fear worm its way up her spine. At the moment, the sun was already being swallowed by the white teeth of the mountains around her, and Carmen hoped that the darkness would hide her, and not anyone or anything dangerous lurking just beyond view.

\---

In the evening glow of the sky, just after the sun had fully dipped beyond the horizon, Carmen tried to make herself as small as possible. As well as one as injured as she could, Carmen had scrambled up one of the trees, hiding among the dense boughs of the scraggly old conifer. She’d heard the cleaners pass by beneath her once already, as well as a few brand new operatives just trying their hand in the field. Neither had really thought to check where she was, instead choosing to follow her planted trail of sticky blood back towards the station. Carmen couldn’t hide forever, though, and prayed to anything that would listen that she’d make it out of this okay.

And, to some degree, something must have heard her silent pleas, because it wasn’t long before she heard the bumbling of a familiar idiot below her. Down in the meadow, she spotted the uncoordinated outfit of Chase Devineaux tramping with little grace through the field.

“La Femme Rouge! I know you’re hiding somewhere around here. Imagine what Chief will say if I bring you in, off duty no less!” He snickered to himself, before stumbling over a stone, cursing at it profusely. Carmen considered her situation, and tried to look at Devineaux in a better light. Not only was he a fool, and easily manipulated, but it sounded like he had fallen off of ACME’s radar for the moment. If she thought about it, he could probably get her to Julia if she framed the situation just right. He didn’t have the capacity to hold her captive for very long, and may have actually had access to many of the resources she needed at the moment. So, after her deliberation, Carmen shook one of the branches of the tree, cautiously raising her voice.

“Devineaux!” He stood up so fast, it was probably dangerous. The inspector whipped around, grunting in surprise. Carmen had to shake the branch again, before he finally started to look in her general direction.

“Ha ha! The infamous Carmen Sandiego, I have finally caught you at-”

“Shut up with all of that, Devineaux, and get over here.” He seemed taken aback, but followed Carmen’s instruction with little consideration. He darted to stand beneath the tree. He squinted up at her, rotating his head and walking around the scrawny trunk a few times before pointing at her, and yelling again.

“Ah ha! Not so elusive now, are- are you bleeding?” Carmen groaned from where she was perched.

“Right on the nose, man. Now stop your rambling, and help me get out of this tree?”

As it turned out, Chase was not particularly helpful in aiding Carmen’s pained descent of the pine. He sort of just stood around, telling her that she was very, very captured by him, and that he was a hero, and that he was unstoppable, and generally inflating his own ego. Finally, when Carmen had reached the ground, he had the audacity to point and gawk at the shard of glass still peaking out of her leg.

“What sort of trouble have you gotten into this time?” His exclamations were getting dumber by the minute. 

“Keep your voice down,  _ please _ . The person who did this to me isn’t that far away, and if I managed to escape with only glass in my leg, I doubt that you’ll fare any better against her.” Devineaux squeaked at that, looking around as if he expected Tigress to be standing right behind him. Carmen rolled her eyes.

“But you should see the other guy, am I right?” She jeered, particularly unamused. Devineaux didn’t get her joke.

“So, you defeated your foe? They’re not going to come after us, right? Jesus, we should get out of here. This is all your doing! You lured me out here just so you could get me murdered in a field!” 

“Devineaux, I literally have glass sticking out of my leg. If anyone is going to die, it certainly won’t be you.”

“Die?!” The investigator was growing more and more frantic with each sentence exchanged. “You can’t just  _ die _ ! You’re Carmen Sandiego, and I need to bring you in  _ alive _ !”

“I never said I wanted to die. The whole reason I’m putting up with you is so I don’t bleed out in a tree, genius.” He certainly hadn’t been expecting that.

“Oh. So, you need… my help?”

“Yup.”

“ _ Carmen Sandiego _ , The Queen of Crime, the phantom I’ve been chasing for  _ years _ , needs my help?” Christ, Carmen may have had her back clawed half to hell, and torn her favorite sports bra, and had bruises on her ribs, and again, a literal shard of glass piercing her leg, but she firmly believed that sitting through the antics of Chase Devineaux was the singular most painful thing in the world. He would not stop talking, and it could quite literally be the death of her.

“Don’t you Interpol people carry first aid kits with you?” She felt little remorse about cutting him off.

“Umm… kinda?”

“What do you  _ mean _ , kinda? Do you not understand that I go around the world, risking my life on a daily basis in order to protect important figures and cultural artifacts to preserve history, and I could die, or have to amputate my leg, if you don’t have a damn first aid kit?” 

“Oh, I- we could check the trunk?”

“And how am I going to get over to your car, in the middle of the afternoon, bleeding out, to see if you  _ maybe _ have a first aid kit?” Unfortunately, Chase didn’t even think twice before offering his answer.

“I will carry you!” Despite being exhausted, bruised, beaten and bloody, Carmen raised up a palm and smacked him clear across the face.

“I certainly hope that’s not your entire plan.” She spat as Devineaux recoiled from her, shocked.

\---

Being the one with the better rational skills, Carmen came up with a plan for him. She’d sent him back to the lot to grab her a first aid kit if he had one, and for now, she slumped against the tree, trying to elevate her leg and prevent too much unnecessary blood loss. Carmen couldn’t help the guilt that wormed its way into her ribs. She hated to let down her team, and get into so much trouble when she was so far away from them. Even worse, Player had been on the line the entire time she’d been in the fight, and was probably worried sick. For now, his link was silent through her earrings, and each time she tried to make contact with him, static filled her ears. He’d probably gone off line after she stopped responding when she’d passed out in the tree. Not only that, but the earring may have been damaged during the fight and eventual escape, which would have only been worse. Carmen slumped, sore arms raising to hold her even more pained ribs, crossing over her chest protectively. She’d broken her promise to Jules, and felt awful about it. Carmen wanted so badly to make good on her word, and encourage Julia to trust her, but with how long Devineaux was taking, it was doubtful that they may ever see each other again. Carmen really, really did not want to die.

Lucky for her, it was only a few more moments before the figure of Chase Devineaux barreled into sight again. He had a huge, red first aid kit cradled under one arm, and the other had a hand flung up in the air, waving at her frantically. Carmen sighed in relief, raising a tired hand to wave half-heartedly. He dashed over, sliding in on his knees and shoving the bag towards her. Carmen raised a brow.

“Oh, yeah, I do the first aid thing cause you’re hurt.”

“Devineaux, how did you not know that you had this in your car? It’s massive.” He shrugged, opening the bag and starting to rifle through its contents.

“Back when we worked together at Interpol, before we were hired on by ACME, Ms.Argent made me carry this around in case we ran into anything dangerous. She was always good at thinking ahead.” Carmen’s face fell a little at that, letting her hand trace the edge of the bag closest to her.

“Yeah, she is.” Devineaux let his head fling up at that.

“What on earth do you mean?” Carmen lifted her hand and waved him off.

“It’s none of your business, just hurry up. I need to get out of here.”

“No you don’t! I told you, I’m bringing you in, and finally, everyone will rue the day the dismissed Chase Devineaux, the hero who ended the crime spree of the infamous Crimson Shadow!” Carmen shook her head.

“Then you should hurry up with all your fancy medical gear so I’m around long enough to get into one of your cells.” Devineaux gave her a lopsided smile. Jesus, he was way too easy to convince.

\---

After trying to guide him through the simple process of first aid, Carmen had her back and shoulders patched up well enough for her to find someone who wasn’t a fool hellbent on arresting her and get some proper treatment. Her arms had been bandaged, and Devineaux had given her a cold pack for her bruised rib. Now, the only thing standing between her and freedom was that stupid piece of green glass still lodged in her leg. Devineaux had offered time and time again to get it out for her, but Carmen had nearly smacked again him when he got too close. Instead, she was using a pair of tweezers to guide the shard out in one piece to the best of her ability, telling the agent when she needed more disinfectant or anything to help blot the bleeding. He looked quite disturbed, wincing theatrically each time Carmen hissed. Occasionally, she put in the effort to shoot him a glare, to which he would shrug apologetically. It took a lot of time, patience, and precision from Carmen, as well as some high quality gawking on Devineaux’s part, but eventually, the shard was cast on the ground beside her, and Carmen was tightly binding her calf with some bandages after applying some dressing. Chase was looking a little green beside her, and he remarked that she herself was looking rather pale.

For what felt like the first time in hours, Carmen finally stood up, using the many low hanging branches of the tree behind her to help support her weight. She beckoned Devineaux over, and put her arm over his shoulder.

“Now, take me to your car, and we need to have a talk about what happens next.” 

“Really, I don’t think you’re in a position to be telling me what to do, Ms-”

“I think I’m always in a position to be in control of myself, thank you very much.” She huffed, scowling at the ground, wincing as she took the first step on her newly bandaged leg. Already, there was the faintest shadow of red on the bandage. They really needed to hurry.

\---

After a most awkward walk back to Devineaux’s car, Carmen slumped in the front passenger seat. As soon as Chase plopped in the driver’s seat beside her, she scowled at him, and pointed a finger right in his face.

“You have a phone, don’t you?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, almost handing it over, before finally gaining some sense.

“Why do you need my phone? I don’t think I should be giving it to you, and-”

“Give me the phone Devineaux. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” The time he wasted on hesitation was time that Carmen used to snatch the old flip phone from his hands. She opened it, gazing at the locked screen before looking back at him.

“Give me the password.”

“No! Give me my phone.”

“No. Devineaux, were you not listening, this is important. Give me the password.”

“But-”

“Give me the goddamn password, or I swear to god, I’ll find a way to ruin this car, too.” Devineaux flushed at that, glaring and snatching the phone from Carmen’s hands. He punched in the password, before handing it back to her, exasperated and embarrassed. Carmen offered him a smug grin.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He grumbled as Carmen scrolled through his contacts.

“You wouldn’t happen to have Julia’s number, would you?” Devineaux furrowed his brow at that.

“Technically, I do, but Ms.Sandiego, I don’t think it’s wise to be calling her right-”

“Where’s the number, Devineaux?” He groaned unnecessarily loud, glaring at Carmen.

“For being an international super-thief, you’re super bossy.”

“Devineaux, if you’re intimidated by me, that’s  _ your _ problem. However, a bleeding leg is  _ my _ problem, so I’m going to take care of it however I like.”

“Fine, I’ll call her. I don’t have her in my contacts, but I have her number. I just, I need the phone, Carmen.”

“Sandiego does fine, Chase.” Carmen told him, handing the phone over. After a few minutes of Devineaux typing, deleting, and finally entering the number, Carmen had the phone returned to her hands. She took it reverently, biting her lip before raising it up to her ear. For a few seconds, the phone rang softly in her ear, before she heard a rather exasperated voice on the other end.

“Devineaux, how many times have I told you? You’re not supposed to be contacting me during working hours, and Chief would have my head if she had any idea I was talking to you. You’re lucky I have this Friday off, because if I didn’t, well, nobody would be too happy right now.”

“Jules, please don’t hang up right now.” Carmen’s only response for a while was heavy silence.

\---

Julia wasn’t sure what she had been expecting from Devineaux this time, but the last thing she’d dreamed of hearing was Carmen’s voice. It was always hard, going for so long without being able to contact one another, but hearing Carmen over the line soothed Julia’s anxiety just a little.

“Carmen! I can’t believe it’s you,” she breathed. “Why’re you calling from Chase’s phone? He’s not giving you trouble, is you?” Carmen wheezed a soft laugh at that. Despite her gentle voice and lofty tone, Julia could tell something was wrong. Carmen’s words came through as strained and fainter than they usually would, and Julia just couldn’t bring herself to blame it all on Devineaux’s awful phone quality. 

“Oh, he’s been trouble enough, but nothing out of the ordinary.” In the background, she heard Chase’s childish protests, but she couldn’t bring herself to be quite as casual as she wanted to be.

“Carmen, are you okay?” As soon as she received hesitation, Julia began to panic. Christ, it had to be bad if Carmen was near Devineaux, who’d apparently let her use his phone.

“Carmen, come on. You’re the one who called me. I want to help, please.” There was a soft clicking on the other end, from Carmen shifting the phone from ear to ear as she fidgeted.

“I’m sorry, Jules. I said I’d keep my word, but… look, I’ll be okay, but I need you. We’re in Chamonix, can I have Devineaux bring me by your place?” Julia didn’t even have to think before answering.

“Of course. Get here as fast as you can, and I’ll see you tonight. Please, please be careful with him, he’s a disaster of a driver, and I’d ask you to take the wheel if you weren’t the one who was hurt.” Julia shook her head, hearing more protests over the line. “Can you hand the phone to him?” Carmen laughed again, something genuine despite its pained undertones.

“Sure, one second.” There was some more rustling, muttering, and scrambling, before Julia held the phone away from her ear a little more, in anticipation of her old partner’s boisterous tone.

“Ms.Argent!” His voice was loud, perturbed and enthusiastic. “I caught her! I did it.” This time, she could hear Carmen grumbling in the background, asking for the phone back already.

“Devineaux, I need you to calm down. Whatever you think you’ve done, whatever the way you’ve gotten into, I promise that you don’t even know the half of it.” Devineaux tried to protest over the line, but Julia shushed him.

“Chase, this is really important. I need you to get her over here, fast. I swear, if you make anything worse for Carmen, I can’t even begin to say what I’ll do.” Chase huffed over the line.

“Why do  _ you _ get to call her Carmen? She just about smacked me when I called her that. Actually, she always looks like she’s going to hit me, and I don’t understand why she’s so aggressive.”

“Devineaux, she’s hurt, and you really want to arrest her. I’m sure she has good reason to be on edge.” He huffed again at that.

“Seriously, we’re trusting you with a lot. I need you not to bring her in to Interpol or Chief, okay?” There was more grumbling over the line. “Chase, come on. I’m sure she’ll tell you plenty if you try to be a decent human being around her. She may be elusive, but she’s nice when you get a chance to talk to her.”

“Oh  _ really _ ?” God, she could almost hear him raising his eyebrows, if that was even a thing. Julia flushed and spluttered.

“Stop that, Devineaux. Come on, just do your thing, drive back over the speed limit or whatever, but do  _ not _ get caught, and do  _ not _ hurt Carmen.”

“Alright, Ms.Argent. I’ll make sure to keep her safe for you,” he snickered. “We’ll be there around midnight, and we’ll call when we’re passing through Montlucon.”

“Alright,” Julia breathed, feeling at least a little more relieved. “And Chase, hand the phone back to Carmen really quick, please?” 

“Fine, fine, hold on.” The transition back to Carmen was much quicker, and the thief’s voice was so soft and curious. Julia felt her heart glow at her words.

“Jules?”

“Oh, Carmen. Please stay safe, just for the drive home, okay?”

“Home, Jules?” Julia flushed at that, shaking her head and hiding her face in her hands.

“You get what I mean, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.” 

“Then save the pestering for when I see you, yeah?” Carmen laughed softly, and Julia let her mind paint pictures of her warm smile, eyes glinting silver and her red lips curled softly into a smile.

“Alright,” Carmen said. “I’ll see you when I make it through this hell.”

“Carmen, he’s really not that bad. Just… don’t tear him apart, yeah?”

“Yeah, alright. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Carmen-” Julia cut herself off. 

“Jules?”

“I- umm… never mind.”

“I look forward to pestering you, Jules.” Julia flushed again, sighing. However, before she was offered the opportunity to respond, she heard Carmen’s indignant shouting as Chase took the phone back.

“Enough! Ms.Argent, we’ll be there around midnight, so please tell this woman to calm down.” Julia sighed, rolling her eyes.

“I’ll be here when you arrive. Goodbye, you two.” Julia hung up before either of them could bother to bicker more over the phone.

\---

Normally, Julia never drank coffee, but she had to stay up for when Carmen arrived. So, she’d put the Great British Baking Show on her television, put on her pajamas, and waited, consuming what was probably an unhealthy amount of caffeine. Compulsively, she tidied her place, until the only thing she left on the coffee table being the same red crane from a few meetings ago. She scrubbed down her counters, before heading to the closet to pull out her first aid kit. She got a glass of water ready for Carmen, and pulled out the blankets, before slumping on her couch. She stared at the clock, watching as the minutes passed her by, until it was almost 12:30. She’d heard from Devineaux about three hours ago, and apparently, Carmen had finally fallen asleep. They should be there soon, and Julia felt anxiety raising up in her chest again.

She didn’t have much time to get too far into her head, though, because someone had rung the bell to her place, and she darted over to buzz them in. After a moment, she flung the door open to be greeted by a sight that would have been rather funny in any other situation: Carmen had her arm over Devineaux’s shoulder, half asleep and groaning every time he tried to jostle her closer to Julia’s door. He was looking pretty out of it, too, with dark circles under his eyes, his hair mussed, and his exhausted tone. Carmen’s red-and-white t-shirt was more red than white now, with dark, burgundy splotches visible around her back and shoulders. She was wearing black high waisted leggings, too, but the left leg had been torn off just above her knee, revealing a red, splotchy bandage covering her calf. Julia’s breath caught in her throat, making her lungs feel heavy and stuffy.

“Oh Carmen, what  _ happened _ ?” She reached out, taking Carmen from Devineaux’s arms, letting a hand come up to brush her hair from her eyes. “Carmen, come on. We really need to get you inside.”

“Jules, you’re being so loud.” Julia glanced over Carmen’s shoulder, looking nervously at Devineaux. He shrugged.

“She’s been running on adrenaline for a few hours, but I guess it’s wearing off. I gave her some ibuprofen, too, maybe that’s part of it?” Julia nodded at him, before turning back to Carmen.

“C’mon Carmen, we gotta get inside.”

“Sorry, sorry. Just, hold on.” Carmen took a moment to finally stand up as best she could, half her weight stull pushed on Julia. She scrubbed a free hand over her eyes, wincing before taking a deep breath.

“Okay, we can go in.” Gently, Julia guided the thief through the threshold and into her living space, leading her to the couch. When Carmen was carefully deposited among the cushions and blankets Julia had prepared for her, she whipped back around to Devineaux.

“Chase, where did you find her?” Devineaux had the impudence to shrug.

“I don’t know, a meadow?”

“A tree in a meadow, and only because I  _ let _ him find me,” Carmen interjected from the couch. Julia laughed at that.

“What was she doing in a tree?”

“Umm, hiding.”

“Of course she was hiding, but why?” He had the nerve to shrug again.

“Tigress,” Carmen called again. “Is a bitch, and she ruined my leg, and cut up the elastic on my sports bra. I was in the tree because I didn’t want to bleed out in plain sight.” 

“Yeah, that.” Julia shook her head at Devineaux’s simple answers. 

“Devineaux, do you have somewhere to go tonight?” He sighed, like a child being sent to bed.

“Yes, of course. I’m just on the other side of town, it won’t be more than a twenty minute drive.” Julia nodded, smiling gratefully at him.

“Thanks for keeping your word. It means a lot to both of us.” Devineaux’s face brightened at that, a lopsided smile falling across his pale lips.

“I’m sure I’m better than whatever partner Chief stuck you with after I left.” Julia’s nose scrunched at just thinking of Zari.

“Yeah, I hate to say it, but you are. Zari’s smart, and knows what she’s doing, but… ” Julia trailed off, struggling to find the right words. Luckily, Carmen caught on quickly.

“She lacks your spark, Devineaux, she’s like the ice queen. You’re kinda just… a gumshoe.” He gasped at that, outraged and annoyed.

“Excuse me,” he began. “But I am no gumshoe-”

“She doesn’t mean any harm, Chase. Zari lacks some of your charisma, your enthusiasm, that’s all.” He puffed his chest out at the praise.

“Certainly I was better at catching Carmen than she was.” Carmen groaned again.

“It’s only because I let you find me, okay?” Julia smiled. It was amusing to see the two enemies bicker like children, both exhausted from a long day of fighting and driving.

“Devineaux, maybe you should head home. You look tired, and you deserve some sleep.” He sighed, and nodded, rubbing at his tired eyes.

“I believe you are right, Ms.Argent. Have a good night,” he turned his head to Carmen. “And Ms.Sandiego, I wish you a mediocre evening.”

“Just go already!” Carmen called, flopping back on the couch. “I’m tired of you.” Even if her words were harsh, Julia could detect a playful tone coming from Carmen, and shook her head fondly. 

“I hate to say it, Chase, but she’s right. You should head out for the night.” 

\---

When the deafening click of the final lock sliding into place resonated about the room, Julia turned back to Carmen, her face bright. Unfortunately, Carmen was hiding her face, the tips of her ears red and her lips tugged downwards in a frown.

“Carmen, what’s wrong?” Julia came to sit beside her, setting a tentative hand on Carmen’s knee.

“Well,” she began. “Besides the obvious, I feel awful.”

“What do you mean?” Carmen shook her head, letting it fall into her hands. Her form was so slumped and broken, reminiscent of their night in Santa Fe so many months ago.

“I broke my promise, Jules. It was the  _ one _ thing that we said we’d do for each other, that we’d stay safe so we could see each other again.” 

“Oh Carmen, I went into that knowing it was almost impossible to expect such things from you. I don’t blame you, honestly.” Julia let her pale hand guide Carmen’s wild hair away from her face, before her palm came to settle comfortably on Carmen’s cheek. The feeling of Carmen so close to her, after so long, was such a relief.

“I am sad that you got hurt, but at least it allowed us to see each other, yeah?” Carmen nodded, pushing her cheek into Julia’s palm. When her silver eyes finally came to meet Julia’s, they were glossy and beaded with tears along her lash line.

“I gave you my word, Jules. I never want you to have to worry about me, and it’s only worse when I actually get hurt. Honestly, you deserve so much better.” Julia shook her head, her thumb coming up to wipe the tears from Carmen’s starry lashes. 

“Carmen, there is no better. I’ll make a promise to you: I don’t regret a single thing.”

“You mean it?”

“Of course I do.” Carmen let her forehead fall to Julia’s, her soft breath fanning out across her rosy cheeks. 

“You’re safe now,” Julia whispered. “And that’s the most important thing to me.”

“I’m sorry, Jules. I’ll do better, I promise.” Julia pressed a finger to Carmen’s lips, silencing her briefly.

“You don’t have to do better, just… think a little farther ahead. But no matter what, I will do everything I can to be there for you.” Carmen flushed even darker as she said that. More tears slipped from her eyes, and her chest shuddered with a quiet sob. Slowly, Julia tilted her chin up, holding the thief’s watery gaze. 

“The only promise I need from you is that you’ll try your best, and that way, I can know that whatever happens when I’m not around, you’ll be doing your finest work.”

“I promise, Jules. I always do my best, I swear, I won’t stop.”

“Good,” Julia smiled at her. “Now, stop worrying. You’re here now, and I think that’s reason enough to be happy, hmm?” Carmen’s giggle was watery, so very earnest in a way that was unique to her. Carmen was so guarded so often, but when she let her honesty show itself for Julia, it was unmatched in perfection.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Jules.” Carmen breathed, half smiling.

“It’s always nice when I get to see you.” Julia let both her hands raise to cradle Carmen’s face, wiping the exhaustion from under her eyes.

“Jules?” Though her name was phrased like a question, it was clearly a rhetorical one. However, Julia responded in the best way she knew how. Tenderly, she closed the last lingering amounts of distance between them, holding Carmen as close as she safely could, savoring the taste of her lips. Carmen melted into her, any final pieces of hesitance shattering as she wrapped her arms around Julia’s waist. When the agent pulled back, she grinned.

“Stay the night?” she asked, anxious. “I want to make sure you’re safe.” Carmen didn’t hesitate before nodding. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I'll have a part 2 out soon! This is a super long chapter as it is, and there's still a whole ton of fluff coming up. I promise, it should be worth the wait!  
> <3!


	5. Midnight Falling (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmen heals, and Julia takes some time to appreciate their vulnerability.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, fellow frogs!  
> *drops chapter, awkwardly scoots away, jazz hands* Ta da! I'm so sorry that this took me so long to post y'all! I sat down, like, a week ago, thinking to myself that I'd be able to just write a short, thousand word chapter of fluff, and then... it was four thousand words, so... I hate to say it, but I think my updating schedule is gonna get a little slower, school's getting more and more demanding.  
> Umm, okay, I think that's all? I wanna thank all of you again for sticking with the story so far, you guys are like, my favorite people ever. Last chapter was defiantly an experiment for me to play around more with the platonic and background relationships, and I'm so thankful for everyone who liked that. This chapter has a little blood and whatnot at the beginning, but it isn't as bad as last chapter, I promise.  
> I hope you all enjoy this, and happy reading! <3!

Julia tried her very best to take this slow and careful, but she couldn’t help but wince every time Carmen did. Julia was nothing if not meticulous in her understanding of anything she did, and her treatment for Carmen did not break that pattern: for the moment, Carmen was sitting on the ground before Julia, who was on the couch, massive first aid kit opened beside her. Julia was undergoing the painstaking process to remove debris that had been embedded in the deep gashes along Carmen’s back and shoulders, and despite her best efforts to make the process as clean and painless as possible, she knew it still hurt the thief. She was working on the last gash, one which only had small bits of gravel in it, and a tiny shard of metal at the precipice of the cut. The tip of Tigress’ claw must have broken off in Carmen’s flesh when it had passed over her shoulder blade, leaving Julia with the grueling task of trying to remove it. Julia may have already taken the time to rinse out and clean around the wounds, but agitating the area so much in her efforts to pull the sliver of metal out had meant that more sticky blood was streaming down Carmen’s back.

“Fuck…” Julia quickly retracted the tweezers at the sound of Carmen’s voice, placing a sympathetic hand at the base of her skull.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed, letting her thumb trace small circles on the nape of Carmen’s neck. “It’ll be over soon; once this damn shard comes out, I’ll be able to take a look at your leg.” Christ, Julia was dreading looking at Carmen’s leg. Carmen had told her that a piece of glass had been shoved in her calf, and Julia feared that undoing the bandages would lead to even more bleeding. She understood that what she was doing would help Carmen in the long run, but she hated seeing someone so close to her in so much pain. In order to allow better access to her wounds, Carmen had discarded her ruined shirt, hunched over in a sports bra. The many elastic straps, which had once been intricately woven on the back of the garment, now only had a few pieces still attached, with the rest having been torn up in Carmen’s fight. The remaining pieces of elastic had been slipped off Carmen’s right shoulder, and Julia should have felt embarrassed, flustered. Instead, only quiet dread fizzled in her stomach. She wished this process to be as painless as possible.

“Alright, yeah. Let’s get this over with.” Mournfully, Julia retracted her hand, and got back to work. Finally, her tweezers clamped around the base of the shard, and with one final pull, it came cleanly from Carmen’s shoulder in a solid piece. Julia breathed out a breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding, and Carmen sighed in relief. 

“See,” Julia began, pulling out a large adhesive bandage. “That wasn’t  _ so _ bad.” The agent wasn’t sure if she was talking more to Carmen or herself, but she was just relieved to have Carmen’s back taken care of. Carefully attaching the bandage, Julia finally slumped into the couch.

“Do you think your leg is still bleeding?” Carmen shrugged, scrambling up on the couch beside her.

“Not sure, but it feels weird if I try to stand on it. I think it is?” Julia sighed, reaching out and letting her hand find Carmen’s. It had to be almost one in the morning, and the two were exhausted.

“I should probably change the dressing and put on a cleaner bandage.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Despite both of their acknowledgement, neither made any move to stand up and start the process. Carmen was worn out from traveling, fighting, and being stuck in a car with Devineaux for hours, and Julia didn’t want to put her through more trouble than was needed. Still, if there were any lasting problems with Carmen’s leg, simply because Julia had been too tired to do anything about it, she would never forgive herself. Julia squeezed Carmen’s hand, before kneeling before her and frowning at the red stained bandages wrapped around Carmen’s leg. With shaky hands, she started to unwrap the gauze. 

When Carmen’s leg was fully revealed, Julia shook her head sadly. She began to wipe up the area around the wound, placing extra care in not putting too much pressure on any one spot. If she ever did push too hard at Carmen’s skin, a fresh trickle of blood oozed out, and the two winced together.

“Sorry, sorry. I just want to clean this up before we wrap it back up.” Julia tried to be quick as she finished her cleaning.

“Jules, you gotta stop apologizing. You have no idea how much this means to me.” Julia lifted her eyes from her task at that, feeling her cheeks heat up. Carmen’s eyes were watery, but affectionate. She placed a hand on top of the agent’s head, ruffling her hair.

“Come on, we should hurry up and try and get to sleep. Chief doesn’t have you on call tomorrow, do they?”

“No, she usually doesn’t call me in on Saturdays.” Julia resisted the urge to push in to Carmen’s touch, and instead directed her attention to finishing up the task at hand. With the cut mostly cleaned up, she glanced back to Carmen.

“Are you completely sure you got the glass out in one piece?” Carmen’s hesitation was not encouraging.

“I think so. Tigress didn’t have the opportunity to break it off any more while we were fighting, and it came out pretty smoothly when I was with Devineaux earlier.” Julia frowned. Upon further inspection, she still couldn’t see any pieces of green hidden among the deep crimson of the thief’s blood, but she still couldn’t quite quell her lingering anxiety surrounding it.

“You have to tell me if you feel anything out of sorts, okay?” Carmen sighed, glancing at her leg.

“I will.” Julia smiled ruefully, quieting her worries by busying herself with finishing the bandaging. Before she could even finish applying the dressing, Carmen’s hand was back on her head.

“Really, Jules, I appreciate everything you’re doing. You’re what keeps me going.” Julia didn’t hesitate this time, leaning into Carmen’s hand.

“Yeah, well,” Julia’s brain was working overtime, trying to hide how flustered she was. “I guess it’d be pretty hard to keep your capers up with a leg as bad as this one.” Carmen sighed, pushing Julia’s bangs back from her forehead. She pulled red lips between her teeth, and inspected Julia with wide, albeit tired, eyes.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Julia shrugged, her eyes flickering away. She finished tying off the bandage on Carmen’s leg, only to find her hands fidgeting with each other.

“I know what a big risk you take, seeing me like this. Our little meetings, they really help me. I’m always on the move, you know that, but it’s nice to have someone I can come back to.” Carmen’s words weighed heavy on Julia’s shoulders, but that didn’t stop her from taking the thief’s hand from her head, cradling it like it was something precious.

That was the thing, though, because it  _ was _ precious. Julia didn’t fully understand Carmen, but that didn’t stop her from caring deeply about her. Perhaps some of what brought them closer together was the imposing mystery surrounding the other. The value of Carmen’s trust was impossible to calculate for Julia, in part because it was invaluable, and in part because she still didn’t know the full extent of the risk Carmen was taking for her sake. Julia knew that Carmen didn’t work alone, and yet, out of all the people she’d likely known for years, Carmen had come to her. The rational part of Julia’s brain told her that it was because of the convenient proximity of Julia’s residence to where Carmen had suffered from her injury, but still, something about all of this felt significant to her. Like the hopeless romantic that she was, Julia let her thumb run back and forth over Carmen’s scraped knuckles.

“It’s always a nice surprise, seeing each other. Though, you tend to be the one who finds me.”

“Perhaps,” Carmen began, reaching for Julia’s other hand. “That could change soon enough.” Julia raised her eyebrows.

“Will it?” The question was innocent for the most part, but the agent still had yet to fully understand what it would take to be the one catching the thief for once. Carmen’s eyes glinted with something akin to mischief, and Julia smiled.

“Maybe. Don’t you want to know more about me, about how I found myself in a situation like this?” Julia shrugged.

“What I know now has been enough to keep me waiting for you, hasn’t it? Besides, I know that you’ll tell me eventually-- there’s no value in pushing you.” 

“I swear, Jules,” Carmen tugged her up to sit beside her on the couch. “You’re some sort of guardian angel: wrongdoing and ill intent must be beyond your capacity.” Julia’s laugh in response was light and airy, lively despite how tired she was.

“Maybe it’s because you still have yet to see me mad.” 

“No,” Carmen shook her head decisively. “I bet you’re one of those people who gets super rational when they’re angry, all cold and calculated. You don’t strike me as the type to be brash.” 

“Maybe,” Julia said. “Let’s hope we won’t have to find out.” Carmen’s hands held hers a little tighter at that, her eyes flickering away.

“Yeah, let’s hope.”

Julia hated the hesitancy she’d sparked in Carmen, especially when she was already so vulnerable. So, she took a risk, and let her slender hand slip from Carmen’s warm and steady grip, her palm coming to settle on the delicate skin of Carmen’s bare waist. Julia knew her hands were cold: they always were and she could never seem to solve this problem, and the skin of Carmen’s side was searing hot against her touch. To her surprise, the thief did not flinch.

“There’s no harm done,” Julia assured her. “We shouldn’t concern ourselves with such petty things right now, anyways.”

“Yeah,” Carmen breathed, her now free hand coming to rub at her dulling eyes. Julia’s self control began to slip, and her eyes finally found their way to a clock in the kitchen. Electric green numbers still managed to look so dim in the shadows Julia then felt cast over the room, but she was barely able to make out what the clock read: 2:07, what a dreadful time (what a fantastical time). Julia couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in her own home, up this late by her own free will. It was magical, all a little dreamlike. In fact, Julia wasn't sure her conscious mind would even register this as reality if it weren’t for the clarity with which she felt Carmen’s presence before her: it was grounding in such a unique manner. This was only further emphasized when Carmen’s forehead dropped to Julia’s shoulder, and she felt the wounded woman in her arms release a trembling exhale.

“Carmen,” she murmured. “Will you come to bed? It’s so late, and you deserve to sleep.” Again, Julia was greeted with hesitation. Even as silence began to fill the metaphorical gap between them (Carmen had allowed no room for a physical gap), Julia did not press her. This choice only made her feel all the more rewarded when the super thief finally turned foggy eyes back up to her, a bleary smile on her face.

“Yeah,” Carmen began, her face flushing. “Sleep sounds nice, Jules.” Seeing Carmen bashful was such a rare treasure, and Julia relished it. To everyone else at ACME, Carmen was a mythical lead to be assigned, a dark shadow in need of justice; to Julia, well… she wasn’t quite sure  _ what _ Carmen could be to her, what she was to Carmen. Still, even if their labels were undecided, Julia was confident that she could never define the precise limit for how much Carmen meant to her. Their relationship certainly wasn’t a conventional one, but neither of them particularly minded that.

\---

Never in all of her time spent hunting down the Red Rogue had Julia dreamt that she would one day be leading a groggy Carmen Sandiego through the hall of her humble apartment in Poitiers to her bedroom. Even as it happened, Julia found it a little absurd. The more sentimental part of her brain encouraged her to treasure this odd moment. Carmen limped along behind her, determined to keep up. Finally, with cautious hands, Julia pushed the door to her room open, and turned to watch Carmen follow in behind her. The thief looked at her surroundings with something akin to awe in her eyes, her vision tracing every knick-knack and trinket with genuine curiosity. Carmen’s hand came to fiddle with the fraying elastic of her severed bra straps as she continued to look about Julia’s simple room, and the shorter woman finally had the decency to feel a little embarrassed.

“Sorry, I know it’s not much. But,” her eyes wandered to the suitably sized queen bed that occupied much of the space in her room. “It’ll do for us. Can I offer you a clean shirt to sleep in?”

“Oh.” Carmen seemed a little dazed at that, turning dark red all over again. Her hand moved to fidget with the lower hem of the black sports bra she was in, growing equally embarrassed.

“Yeah, a shirt would be nice.” Julia smiled, before quickly busying herself with getting a shirt for Carmen. She had quite a few oversized band tees that she’d collected over time, and eventually plucked the largest she had from her drawers, one with “Queen” printed across the top in bold letters, showcasing a picture of the band done up in their look from “I Want To Break Free”. For good measure, she grabbed a pair of sleep shorts, too. Nervous, Julia turned around, holding the clothes out to Carmen while barely meeting her eyes.

“I think this should work. The bathroom is the next door down from here, on your right. I doubt you’ll miss it.” Carmen accepted the shirt with shaky hands, a grateful smile painting her fatigued face. She held the shirt close, observing the print on the front, before looking back up.

“Thanks again, Jules. This,” the thief gestured vaguely to the space around them, and by association, Julia herself. “It all means so much to me. I don’t know how I’ll ever pay you back.”

“Oh, Carmen,” she breathed. “You never have to pay me back. Now go get changed, we’ve both had a long night.” Her cheeks still stained rosy, Carmen nodded and left to put on the loaned pajamas, and Julia sighed. She asked the universe, what had she done to deserve the presence of such a human? She truly would never know.

\---

While Carmen had gone to the other room, Julia had taken the moment alone to try and collect herself, grabbing a glass of water for them each from the kitchen, before settling herself on the bed. Christ, she still had yet to wrap her head around the idea that she would be sharing a bed with  _ Carmen Sandiego _ of all people. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more it came to her that Chase Devineaux had probably guessed as such, and that only made her turn redder. She hid her face in her hands from the imaginary judgement she felt from her ex-partner, before sighing and looking up at the ceiling. If she was being completely honest, Julia couldn’t even begin to describe how thankful she was for Devineaux. He may have had the emotional intelligence of a beetle, but he still managed to show empathy when it was needed. She’d have to write to him soon, maybe catch up at some point. 

These arbitrary thoughts were, of course, interrupted by the creak of her door being opened, and the timid footsteps that followed. In the doorway, awkwardly crossing her arms protectively over her chest, Carmen approached the bed. Julia became mesmerized, struggling to push down the affection that bubbled up at the simple, domestic sight of Carmen in her clothes. She discarded the torn and bloodied bra she’d had on earlier in a waste bin in the corner of the room, as well as her ripped up pants, before setting only a pair of familiar stud earrings down on the bedside table. She sat on the side of the bed opposite of Julia, letting her fingers comb through her hastily tidied hair. Finally, she let her bottom lip fall from where her pearly teeth had snagged on to it, and her eyes met Julia’s. The agent had a hard time focusing, her attention being drawn to Carmen’s lips, and the realization that this was the first time she’d ever seen her without makeup. Slowly, she reached out to her, and her porcelain hand was hesitantly enveloped in the warm grip of Carmen’s own weathered, amber palms.

“Can I?” the thief inquired, looking longingly at the bed before her. Julia smiled, relieved in her own right.

“Of course.” She tugged back the comforter and sheets, allowing Carmen to worm her way in beside her. Once they both found themselves settled, Carmen giggled to herself. She rolled over on to her uninjured side, and gazed fondly at Julia, who mirrored her actions.

“This is pretty wild, isn’t it?” Julia couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“I guess you could say that,” she responded. She really didn’t want to have to go to sleep right then. Once again, Carmen’s lip was being worried at by her teeth, and the tips of her ears turned brilliant red. Her mind seemed to be racing behind those signature silver eyes, and Julia was entranced. Finally, Carmen offered her question.

“Jules,” her name came out like a secret, a whisper. “Can I- no, wait, can you, umm… you know…?” Julia giggled at Carmen’s sudden onslaught of nervous behavior, taking charge and reaching out her own hand. It found its way to the familiar dip of Carmen’s waist, and the thief shifted closer to Julia’s hold.

“Does that work?” Julia asked coyly, snickering to herself as Carmen muttered her approval, hiding her face in Julia’s collarbones. Never in all her life would Julia have dreamt that she would have spent a night with  _ Carmen Sandiego _ of all people, wrapped up in her arms. But, lucky for her, this was no dream. She was careful of Carmen’s bruised side, fingers gently tracing the peaks and valleys of the thief’s shoulder blades, careful not to disturb the bandages there. Blanketed in the blue hues of the night, the two managed to slip away from the demands of the world, and Julia quietly reveled in the rare moment of vulnerability offered to her. She sighed, and listened to the soft sounds of Carmen’s heartbeats and labored breaths.

“G’night, sweetheart,” was uttered in the darkness.

\---

When Julia awoke again, it had to only be about five in the morning, and she was greeted by the sound of hushed chattering on the bedside table. Completely wrapped around her, Carmen still dozed away, eyelids flickering rapidly while she dreamed. Confused, Julia glanced around, only to find her suspect: Carmen always wore her stud earring when she was talking to her friend, Player, that’s what Carmen had called them. They’d sounded young when she heard about them, so there was little doubt in her mind that the child was probably worried sick. As subtle as she could, Julia squirmed until her hand was free, and grabbed the earrings. She fit them into her piercings, before finally discovering where the noise was coming from.

“Red,” a voice crackled in. “Red, come on. You’ve gotta answer me, please.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not Carmen, but I think I can help.” For a moment, Julia’s words were only greeted with crackling silence, before a hesitant voice said.

“Jules? You’re Jules, aren’t you.” Then, it hesitated. “I can call you that, right?”

“Sure,” Julia said around a yawn.

“I- oh. Sorry to wake you. Is Red there with you?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “She’s sleeping. She’s pretty beat up and worn out, but Carmen’s strong: she’ll be alright.” Julia heard an audible sigh come through the comms.

“Jules, you’re like her guardian angel or something. Seriously, we all owe you one.” Julia laughed lightly at that, rubbing at her eyes.

“The only thing I need from you is your word that you’ll keep Carmen as safe as you can. I’ll  _ always _ do my best to help her, to be there for her, but I can’t be with her all the time.” The kid on the other end laughed.

“That’s like, my whole job, so don’t worry-- I’ve got you covered.”

“Thanks kid, you have no idea how much this means to me.” He laughed again.

“I hate to break it to you, but I might be one of the only people who  _ does _ understand.”

\---

“Jules! Oh, come on, hurry up.” Julia’s eyes fluttered open to discover Carmen shaking her awake.

“You’re awake!” she beamed down at Julia, her eyes glittering and much brighter after a proper rest. Julia reached a dreary hand up to cradle one of Carmen’s cheeks, taking a moment to get her thoughts in order.

“Carmen, what’s going on?” Carmen’s face fell at that, glancing away.

“Jules, I’m so, so sorry. I… Player sent someone to pick me up, I’ve gotta go.” Julia whined, her other arm coming up to pull Carmen straight down on top of her. Both lost their breath with a huff, and Carmen winced, but still curled around her.

“Careful about the rib, hon.” Julia furrowed her brows.

“Sorry, sorry.” Julia ran a gentle hand down Carmen’s side, guilt nagging at her gut.

“I know, I know,” the thief cooed. “But Jules, I’ll be back soon, I promise. Just… be safe, and I will be, too.”

“Ugh,” Julia groaned, wrapping her arms tighter around Carmen’s waist. “I hate that you’re always leaving first. It  _ sucks _ .” Carmen laughed softly, raising herself up with one arm, while her other hand came to card through Julia’s mussed hair.

“I know, it does. But, we won’t be apart for long this time, I know it.” Julia raised her eyebrows at this, choosing not to question it.

“You’re sure?” she wondered instead. Carmen smiled, leaning forward and briefly connecting their lips, something chaste and affectionate. Julia spluttered and pushed her away.

“Carmen,” she muttered. “I’ve got morning breath. That’s gross.” The thief shook her head.

“It’s not gross, get over yourself. Let me be romantic and say goodbye before Zack comes in and drags me out himself.” Julia pouted, pulling Carmen towards her again, much more careful this time. She planted her lips firmly on Carmen’s cheek, before hiding her face in her shoulder.

“Be careful with your cuts, okay?” Carmen resumed playing with Julia’s hair.

“I’ll do my best. Oh, and Player says hi. I’m sure he’ll be reaching out to you soon.”

“He will?” Julia breathed, excited.

“Yup! Now Jules, you’ve gotta let me up, I told you, I have to hurry.” Julia sighed, her arms going lax. Carmen smiled, and pressed a kiss on her temple.

“I’ll be back for you, don’t worry. We’ll find each other again.” Julia nodded, trying to hide her disappointment.

“I know. I’ll miss you Carmen.” This made the taller woman pause, and her eyes glowed.

“I’ll miss you too, but, hopefully not for long.” She bit her lip, hesitating. She hated that she had to do it, but Julia made the motion to shoo her from her room.

“I guess you’ve got a flight to catch.” Carmen sighed, and nodded.

“Yeah. Have a good weekend, Jules. I’ll be safe and… I’ll see you soon.” With that, Carmen, who was still in the borrowed shirt and shorts, ran from the room, tugging on her red converse sneakers as she stumbled from Julia’s apartment. Julia was relieved to see her limp had greatly decreased, and she didn’t flinch so much when she raised her arms up. When the front door finally clicked shut, Julia sighed. To the silent room, Julia spoke softly.

“Au revoir, mon bijou.”

\---

Aside from her ruined, torn clothes, the only thing that Carmen left behind was a slip of crumpled up paper, adorned with an address, and a boldly written name:  _ Carmen Brand Outerwear  _ . 


	6. Foggy Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia takes a risk, makes amends, and plans for a most unlikely future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings my wonderful fellow frogs!  
> Oh GOOSE, I know it's taken me a while to get this chapter out, but I really wanted to make it... you know... good. But it's here now, and I hope you all enjoy it. And what is this we see here? Could it be? It is! At last, I have incorporated some semblance of a plot in here, so I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you again for all the support I've had from you lovely humans(?), frogs, and mothpeople. I cannot truly express how much it means to me that people actually read this, so I really appreciate y'all.  
> Okay, that's all for now, and happy reading!

Julia was quite sure that when Carmen said that they would see each other again soon, she clearly didn’t mean this under the current circumstances. When she had been told that Carmen’s warehouse was in Sandiego, she hadn’t imagined that she would find it cold, dreary and cloudy. All of the humidity certainly didn’t help, and only made the biting chill just that much sharper. To make matters worse, Julia thought she felt a raindrop bounce off her shoulder. She really needed to get over her nerves and just do  _ something _ . No amends would be made if she spent the better part of the day sulking on the doorstep. She was close to the water here, waves that had once been serene now whipped up under the harsh blundering of the wind. 

Despite the pressure from her environment, Julia still struggled to go through with her intentions. See, this meeting had the opportunity to be vastly different from any other encounter the two had ever previously shared. Time and time again, it was Carmen that found her, shadowed and mysterious and ever affectionate, but at this point, everything was changing. This time,  _ Julia _ was the one to find Carmen; this time,  _ Julia _ would be shadowed and mysterious; this time,  _ Julia _ would be presenting more vulnerability, more honesty than she may have ever before. Understandably, she was scared. Though the actual actions and faults performed had been the fault of ACME, Julia couldn’t help but blame herself: she had broken Carmen’s trust. Oh, how clearly she remembered everything, from the pained shock on the thief’s face, to her own lingering guilt as she watched the tiny, crumpled figure of Carmen as she made her escape from the precipice of the bell tower. Even worse, she remembered when she’d gone in with special permission from Chief to the hospital, while Carmen was unconscious and on life support, and saw the thief, a woman who was strong and radiant and brilliant in every way, reduced to such a delicate state. She didn’t ask Chief for permission to visit after that, making it her personal business to visit Carmen on the regular (at least, until she mysteriously disappeared).

Julia knew that Carmen’s disappearance was no real mystery, and almost immediately jumped at the opportunity to make use of the slip of paper that she’d been given at the end of their last visit. Now, she found herself conveniently on the stoop of Carmen’s secret lair. When she’d been on the plane over, Julia had laughed at herself; she felt like she was in an awful cop movie, only accomplishing anything once she finally left the backwards, limiting organization that had got her all caught up in this in the first place. She’d spent hours considering what she would say if she ever got to see a conscious Carmen again. One must understand, she’d felt like a genius, having figured everything out by the time she found a route to the old warehouse, but now, she couldn’t even bring herself to remember how to knock on a door. Frantically, she started looking around. Was she supposed to ring a doorbell? Christ, was she even supposed to be here at all? She probably deserved the cold shoulder she’d received since Stockholm (Julia cringed at that, she really shouldn’t be making puns about cooler temperatures around Carmen). Minutes ago, Julia wanted nothing more than to get out of the dreaded storm that was making its advance overhead, but if she really thought about her options, it may have been warmer out here than the reception than she may receive if she went inside.

Of course, considering her luck thus far, Julia was not surprised when the heavy metal door in front of her swung open before she’d even had the chance to make her presence officially known. Her heart stopped for all the wrong reasons.

\---

Julia knew she was short, Devineaux made sure to constantly remind her of this back when they’d worked together, but she’d never felt particularly  _ small _ before this moment. The person standing over her was a good eight or nine inches taller than her, their face stern and eyes unmoving. In the downpour that began to cling onto Julia’s back, the two stared at each other, and Julia made a last-ditch effort to puff out her chest and give her expression some semblance of resolve; it did her little good. Their face was worn by variables so much sharper than time alone, and it showed in the way they stood in the doorway. She was relieved to find their dark eyes without any trace of hostility. It wasn’t until Julia flinched from a raindrop that had been so adventurous as to fall onto her hair, and drip right onto the bridge of her glasses that the person moved to the side, speaking gruffly.

“We weren’t expecting you but,” their voice caught on their thoughts, their hesitation, “I doubt that you’re unwelcome.” Something about that quelled the anxiety that stirred itself in Julia’s gut, and she sighed. Cautiously, she followed their invitation, and made her way in through the doorway. The space was… bright, pleasant, but rather empty. From what she gathered, Carmen hadn’t been here long, so she doubted that she’d had the time to decorate, or the sentimental drive (some part of Julia hated that this surprised her). The whole place almost felt unfinished, what with the occasional planks of random wood and open paint cans sitting in the far corner of the massive ground floor. It smelled too clean, unlived in. Julia spotted a large dining table and kitchen, open to the rest of the area, off in one corner, and a large television with a couch in another. Quietly, she busied herself with slipping off her shoes, taking in her scenery and dutifully avoiding the stare of the person beside her. Finally, after she’d toed off her rather stubborn left shoe, Julia stood up straight, awkwardly holding eye contact with the other person as they locked the door behind her. The action wasn’t foreboding, but its finality wasn’t lost on her: she was going to have to accomplish what she set out to do before she’d even have the opportunity to think of leaving. So, Julia mustered up as much confidence as she could, and opened her mouth.

“You’re Carmen’s…” she struggled for a moment, fishing for the right word. “Mentor. She speaks quite highly of you” They offered the smallest smile at that, stiffly extending a calloused, but well cared for hand, letting some of the tension drop from his face.

“I guess that works. Shadowsan.” he said his own name so stiffly, without any preamble, and Julia did her best not to let any of her mirth through in response. Instead, she lightly took his hand shaking it once, curtly. She did not reveal any of her caution in this introduction (Devineaux always complained that her handshake was too tight, too stiff, but it didn’t seem out of place now). 

“I’m Julia, but I’m sure you already know that.” He nodded once, offering no further conversation. He just… stood there for a moment. Christ, this was getting weird. He was an intimidating figure, sure, but this sort of interaction made him seem wildly out of place. Again, Julia had to steel herself so as to not crack any sort of smile. She did, however, not want to accidentally get into a useless staring contest, and bashfully let her eyes wander. Shadowsan must have caught onto that, and immediately glanced behind himself, and Julia’s eyes were subsequently drawn to the corner with the couch and the television. If she focused, she could see the edge of a figure more or less hidden behind the corner and back of the couch. Her breath caught in her throat, abandoning all hope for subtlety. 

“She’s been out of it for a while, but maybe she’ll wake up,” he was so uncertain, and it reopened that awful pit in Julia’s stomach. 

“Is she- can I see her?” Julia tried to swallow the lump that had started to make itself present in her throat. Shadowsan’s face softened, and revealed how tired he really must have been. He nodded, sullen.

“Take things slow with her, she’s been through a lot.”

“I know.” (Julia hated that she knew, hated how  _ much _ she knew, but that went unspoken) She couldn’t busy her mind, so she resorted to busying her body, picking at her already suffering cuticles. She took a deep breath, trying to regain some of the composure she’d tried to adopt earlier, and took the first cautious step towards where Carmen was resting. Slowly, her figure became more clearly defined, and Julia was shocked to see how small Carmen looked. The guilt weighing down Julia’s shoulders was heavy, but at this point, unfortunately familiar. Finally, when she reached the couch, Julia grew so awfully hesitant, gnawing at her lower lip as she tried to figure out what she was going to do with herself. She settled for sitting on the edge of the couch, still not reaching out to the unconscious Carmen beside her.

Julia had always appreciated that Carmen showed her a more human side to her untouchable persona, but for how much Julia loved to take the time to be vulnerable with Carmen, she would have given it all just for Carmen to never have to fall so low ever again. It really was all her fault, because if Carmen had regarded her without any attachment, any desire to be closer, Chief would never have been able to pin her down, never would have forced Carmen into the terrible winter climate, and Julia wouldn’t even have to be here. 

Perhaps what happened was inevitable, though-- both women were aware how risky it would be to maintain their delicately formed trust, both were aware of what prices may have been paid. Julia thought she’d seen the worst of it when Carmen had been deposited on her doorstep in the middle of the night, torn and bleeding. In both their lines of work, mortal danger sort of went with the appropriate requirements, but Julia had sworn she’d keep Carmen safe from all of that, not push her into more pain than was necessary. The image of Carmen turning away from her, alarmed and hurt, as agents flooded the bell tower, was burned into her mind, a constant reminder of what they’d have to live with if they continued on. Carmen’s eyes, which always glowed like twin silver moons when they were together, had grown stony, eclipsed. Julia had to live with the memory of her faults, of what she’d put Carmen through. 

The only good that had come from all of this was that Julia had cut herself free. She’d made her fatal mistake once before, and she wasn’t even the one who had to pay for all of it. So, Julia had little remorse about resigning from ACME. She’d left them yesterday, and hadn’t even waited twenty-four hours before booking herself the soonest flight, and finding Carmen. Julia had done her part, and left ACME, and would continue to do her part, here, with Carmen. She’d insisted that Chief remove her chip, the one they’d given her when she’d first been recruited, and had spent the better part of two hours when she returned home double checking that none of her belongings were bugged. Julia would make herself disappear if she had to, and would right all the wrongs she’d caused.

Julia took a moment to check her surroundings, confirming that Shadowsan had gone up the stairs to busy himself with something. She spotted an elevator on the wall across from her, and stared suspiciously at it for a moment, before turning her gaze back to what really mattered; Carmen stirred quietly in her sleep, and Julia felt a little bit of her internalized pain slip away. No matter what she tried to tell herself, Julia knew that she couldn’t stay away. It was worth it, too, to relieve some of her worrying by getting to see that Carmen was in fact still alive, healing with her team.

So, Julia got over herself, and let a gentle hand settle on Carmen’s knee, sighing. It would do her no good, speaking to nobody, so she waited. Outside, the rain thrashed against the windows, making the inside of the building feel ever too quiet. It wasn’t though, because if Julia really listened, she could hear the soft rush of air flowing in and out of Carmen’s lungs, a sound that was smooth and rhythmic. She had so much to tell Carmen, so much to ask her, and never had the right words to do it. More than anything, Julia wished for Carmen’s forgiveness. She knew it was unlikely, but she had to try. It had taken them months to work up to their first meeting, and months on top of that to get as close as they were. It had been close to a year now, since the first time Julia had spotted a dash of brilliant red on the roof of a museum in Poitiers, a year since her captivation started. For all she knew, it could take another year for her to earn back Carmen’s trust, but Julia would wait. 

She even ends up a little lucky, because she doesn’t have to wait much longer. It wasn’t long until Carmen’s eyelids fluttered open, and she tensed briefly. Julia sighed quietly, and Carmen turned minutely to look at her, irises being reduced to tiny silver bands behind dreary, dilated pupils.

\---

Carmen stared at Julia quietly, before letting out a breathy remark.

“I guess you found me.” A slender, bruised hand came up from the blanket and Carmen rubbed at her eyes, trying to shake any sleep that still clung to her. Julia struggled to decide if she was relieved or impossibly anxious, but eventually settled on the former. Even now, disheveled, bruised and exhausted, Carmen was still the most beautiful sight to have ever graced Julia, and she doubted that anything would ever change that. Perhaps she was particularly beautiful now, out of all the times that Julia had seen her, because it was clear that she was willing to listen. Carmen was always so open with her, always so patient and gentle, and Julia had never been more thankful. So, she let her breath shudder out, squeezing lightly on Carmen’s knee before bashfully withdrawing her hand.

“I couldn’t wait, I needed to make sure that…” Julia bit her lip, trying to gather her thoughts. “I needed to know that you were alright.” Slowly, Carmen scooched up, leaning against the back of the couch, tucking her knees closely against her chest. She set her chin on the top of her knees, pushing her untamed auburn hair from her face, before glancing up through her lashes. Julia’s lungs felt tight and she struggled to bring in enough air.

“That’s all?” Julia blushed rather furiously at that, her cheeks growing hot as she averted her gaze; Carmen always knew how to see through her.

“Well- I, um. I should think that reason enough to come here, but,” hesitantly, Julia looked back to Carmen. “I needed to say sorry, to make sure that  _ we’re _ alright.” Carmen furrowed her brow, hands fidgeting under the blanket. Julia kept her silence as Carmen thought, hoping she hadn’t said the wrong thing. In all her nervous debating, the blanket slipped down just a bit, revealing Carmen’s shoulders, and Julia found her eyes wandering. She spotted them almost immediately: dotted across the thief’s otherwise pure, bronze skin were raised constellations of scar tissue, most of them still fresh and tender. Julia clearly remembered cleaning those wounds, how closely she’d held Carmen then. Now, there was a chasm between them, both still too nervous to reach out and close the gap that spanned between them.

Carmen, being endlessly brave, made the first move to close the gap. Of course, in her typical fashion, she answered Julia with questions of her own. 

“Jules?” Christ, the nickname caught her off guard. She didn’t know if she should be relaxed or on guard, and waited anxiously for Carmen to finish. “What am I to you?”

“Everything,” The historian didn’t even think twice before answering, and let the single word linger for just a moment, trying to make sense of it herself. “Carmen, I don’t have the right words for it, and I’m not sure what you’re comfortable calling it, but I wouldn’t let myself live with the fact that I’d wronged you so.”

“Yeah?” Carmen’s voice was lighter than Julia had expected, and it had her captivated.

“I needed to make sure that you’re okay, and I wanted to help you.”

“Help me?”

“I… I told Chief I couldn’t do it anymore. For the most part, I enjoy my work, but the best part was catching up with my lead,” Carmen smiled softly at that. “But when I realized how far she was willing to go to try and close the case, I just…” Julia bit her lip, hesitating. Her eyes wandered back behind Carmen, catching on the window, and the grey world it revealed beyond. The rain was still pelting down, hissing softly beyond the comfortable confines of the warehouse. Julia was drawn back to reality by something she didn’t expect, but eagerly accepted: Carmen had reached out, gently cupping one of Julia’s palms in her own, her thumb tracing over the pronounced peaks and valleys of her knuckles.

“Carmen, you promised me that you’d do your best to be safe. How can I hope for you to stick to that if I’m the one putting you in danger? I couldn’t risk it again, you mean too much to me.” The other woman’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, and Julia returned the action. Carmen was pressing her cheek to her knees, scrunching up her contemplative face.

“I don’t…” Carmen started off quiet, unsure. “I don’t think that you’re the one who hurt me, it was  _ my  _ choice to fly off the top of that damn tower, anyways. And I like to think that, after all that we’ve been through, you wouldn't send Zari and whoever else after me in a situation like that. Besides, you were there, weren’t you? You came to retrieve me with Chief, didn’t you?” Julia shrugged at that.

“I came to help at the end, I knew I couldn’t leave you alone in their hands. Anyone would have done the same.” Carmen shook her head, struggling to find the right words.

“But Jules, you don’t get it. It was their job to come get me, they knew they could gain something by keeping me alive. But you, well…” Julia smiled at that, leaning in a little closer to where Carmen was curled up.

“Technically, I also benefit from keeping you alive. My motivations just happen to be more personal than anyone else’s.” Julia’s words were hesitant, a little sarcastic, and elicited a laugh from Carmen. If she was being truly honest, Julia lived for that sound alone, and what a reassurance it was to her then. Carmen seemed to have relaxed more since she’d woken up, but she still seemed tired. This didn’t surprise her too much, though, Carmen was still recovering after her rough experiences. Even though she’d tried to avoid it, Julia couldn’t help but notice the white, scared damage littering Carmen’s hand from superficial frostbite damage. The other woman must have caught her staring, and quietly tugged her hand from Julia’s hold.

“Don’t worry about it, okay? It’s been- I’ve been healing. I’ve been getting better.” Julia bit her lip, reaching out again.

“I know that, and it’ll take a while before you’ll be able to go into the field again, but that’s alright.” Carmen still kept her body curled up under the blanket, tugging it back up over her shoulders. “Come on, Carmen, please?” She shook her head, auburn hair draping over her face; Julia let out a mournful sigh. 

“I promise I won’t judge you, I know it’s not your fault.” Despite Julia’s encouragement, Carmen offered no response. Julia pulled her own hand back, letting it settle in her lap. She didn’t want to push the Red Rogue, but it stung a little. So, Julia moved to sit beside her, careful not to prod Carmen’s prone figure. Gently, she let her fingers card through Carmen’s wild hair, tugging it gently away from her face to reveal watery eyes.

“I hate my hands,” Carmen muttered, brows drawing farther downward; she refused to meet Julia’s gaze. 

“Hey, come on, none of that, please.” Carmen pushed her face into the blanket, avoiding the conversation. Julia would have left her alone if she hadn’t known how much Carmen was hurting. Her hands came to trace gentle circles on Carmen’s covered shoulders, trying to sooth her.

“Carmen, honey, come on,” the term of endearment slipped so easily from her lips, and Julia hardly noticed (Carmen did). “Don’t feel bad, your hands are still lovely. I know there’s nothing I can really say to absolve your feelings, but God, Carmen, it kills me to see you like this; I just want you to know that no matter what happens to you, I’m always here for you. Nothing is going to stop me from doing what I can, except for your word.” Under her light palm, Julia could feel the soft shuddering of Carmen’s shoulders. She tried her best to comfort the other woman, careful to avoid the scar tissue left over from the gashes Julia had helped to patch up about a month ago. She knew that Carmen’s wounds would remain tender for a long time to come, and wanted to be the last thing to make her pain worse. When auburn hair was finally pushed out of the way, Carmen revealed herself: her face looked flushed and blotchy, and her eyes were cast downwards, russet lashes casting soft, feathered shadows on her ruby cheeks. When Julia’s porcelain hands came to cradle Carmen’s sharp jaw, she squeezed her eyes shut as tears leaked from the corners of her eyelids. Her lips, cracked and chewed at around the edges, parted softly around words.

“Jules, you said you wanted to help me, yeah?”

“Yeah, I want to do what I can.” Carmen’s eyes cracked open, a silver spark revealing itself again.

“Stay with us?” Carmen sniffed, slowly regaining her composure. “Stay with me?” Julia’s eyes widened a little at that, her unoccupied hand coming up to push her rose gold glasses farther up her nose, desperate to distract from the shades of pink that were surly dusting her cheeks.

“Carmen, are you sure?”

“Of course. I’ve hoped that we could work a little more closely together for a while, and I guess that the perfect opportunity has just presented itself.” Julia snickered, finding Carmen’s words rather ironic.

“Of course you’d call it that.” Carmen’s smile was watery and small, but brilliant nevertheless.

“So,” Carmen pushed. “Would you at least consider it?” Julia’s hand came up to fiddle with the hem of her shirt, averting her gaze briefly.

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I’d… I think it would be nice, working with such precious artifacts all the time, traveling the world,” Julia’s eyes finally found Carmen’s again. “We’d get to spend a lot more time together, which is always a lovely benefit.” Carmen smiled at the last thought Julia offered, and some of the tension wilted from her shoulders. Finally, she shifted to properly sit upright, her posture a tad more open than it was previously: it was certainly enough to make Julia’s smile grow. The blanket slipped to pool in Carmen’s lap, and the woman apparently didn’t seem to mind as Julia’s eyes wandered back to the wrongdoings etched into Carmen’s soft skin. She wore a simple black camisole top, fitting tightly and riding up just around her stomach. Before, when Carmen had been bleeding out on her couch, her body required tender care without judgement, but now, Julia was given a moment to admire. When her hands found their way to Carmen’s waist, the Crimson Ghost offered no protest. Sure, her skin may have jumped under the touch this time, but when her warm, worn hands finally settled over Julia’s perpetually icy ones, she knew she hadn’t done the wrong thing. She let her thumb gently trace over the firm dips and swells of Carmen’s muscles (Jesus, her face had to be redder than Carmen’s hat), taking pride in the way Carmen giggled, and squirmed away.

“Jules, come on, that’s not fair.”

“I didn’t expect that the  _ greatest _ thief in the entire world would be-”

“Oh my god,  _ stop _ .” Still giggling, Carmen pushed Julia’s hand away from her, only to hook her own dry, damaged fingers around her shoulders, tugging Julia into her side. She let her hands return to Julia’s hold, and they maintained their gaze. Somewhere, beyond this moment of paradise that bloomed between them, the rain still assaulted the stoic glass around them, playing symphonies of mournful pitterings, ones that sounded so much like the fluttering heart in Julia’s ribs. Slowly, not eager to break the trust sewn between them, Julia inspected Carmen’s hands. At this point, the worst of the damage had been taken care of, but a few blisters and patches of off-white skin remained, as well as a damaged finger nail or two. Those hands were precious, and Julia treated them as such: her lips fell feather-light on Carmen’s bruised knuckles, reveling in the soft gasp she heard above her. When Julia’s eyes were cast upward, they held the image of Carmen’s flustered face with reverence. She let her arms wind around Carmen’s neck, pulling her gently into her embrace.

“I’m so happy that you’re alright.” Julia breathed against her neck, enjoying the feeling of Carmen’s own arms wrapping around her waist.

“So long as you’re here, I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely,” Carmen pulled back a little, still holding Julia, but keen to look her in the eyes. “And I forgive you, Jules, for everything you think you’ve ever done to me, because I think it’s been worth it-- I may have a warehouse in Sandiego, but I found a home in Santa Fe, and Milan, and Poitiers, and a train in India. I’ve spent so much time trying to figure out  _ where  _ I belong, and never the people that come with those places. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? You aren’t a place, you’re not any name of a city, you’re just my Jules.” Julia pressed her forehead to the younger woman’s, careful to guide the conversation where she needed it to go.

“Yours?” The word was mumbled softly, much of Julia’s attention dedicated to tracing all the tiny freckles that faintly bloomed high on Carmen’s cheeks.

“If you’ll have me, I’ll be yours, too.” Carmen’s admittance felt so heavy, and was just what Julia needed to hear.

“Then I’m yours,” Julia breathed, letting her lips press to a particularly large spot just below Carmen’s left eye, lingering for a moment, before pulling back. Carmen’s eye’s glistened, her smile radiant.

“Jules?” Carmen really had a way with words, and perhaps, with the ones she didn’t say. Maybe she didn’t need to tell anyone, but she wanted to, and what a perfect reason that was to speak. “I think I love you.” Julia’s eyes blew wide, her breath slipping out through parted lips. She could hardly manage coherent speech.

“You think?” The other nodded, brushing their noses together as she laughed breathily.

“I’m not sure yet, and I don’t know what to call how I feel, but I think that’s pretty close.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah.” 

Julia bit her lip, and took in the scene before her. She considered all of the pieces she’d seen in museums, all of the artifacts she’d inspected on the job, all of the novels and poems she’d read, and she’d finally reached a conclusion: Carmen Sandiego was the most wonderful work of fine art ever to grace the Earth, and that would never change. Julia said the only thing she knew she could.

“I’m not sure,” she said, voice trembling. “But Carmen, I think I  _ could _ love you, if you’d let me. I can’t say anything yet, but you have no idea how badly I want to tell you everything.” Carmen sighed, and hid her face in Julia’s neck.

“I think I know, maybe more than you know.”

“It’ll take time, Carmen. I’m not even sure if everything will work out, I mean…”

“Yeah, but isn’t it worth the risk?”

“Yes. It always has been.” Julia didn’t need to think to know that. She didn’t have a name for the truth, not yet, but she wanted to, more than anything. She knew that she couldn’t say she loved Carmen, not yet, but she knew she would some day. All she needed was this very opportunity: Julia hadn’t dated much in the past, and had rarely forged such close connections with other people, so she treated this situation with care. She hadn’t known Carmen for long, had their times together were so few and far between, so she couldn’t yet make the declaration on the half of a person that she’d come to know. She wanted to know more, and better yet, Carmen wanted to show her, which made it all worthwhile. Julia let her eyes fall shut, and buried her face in Carmen’s billowing hair. Engulfed in her warmth, her words, her cedar and orange scent, Julia found a different criteria to define home, and held Carmen closer.

“I’ve gotta tie off some loose ends back at home, let my mom know that I’m relocating with work and what not. I still have to pack my bags and get out of Poitiers, but Carmen, I really want to make this work.”

“Me too,” the younger whispered, “I think this’ll be good for us, and good for you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Carmen breathed. “No more Devineaux to ruin your vehicles, no more Zari to hold you back, no more Chief breathing down your neck. You can do pretty much whatever you want, so long as you’re alright going along with my capers.” Julia hummed pleasantly at that.

“That would be nice. Besides, I’m tired of feeling like I have to hide you from everyone around me.” Carmen nodded. 

“I just feel like I need you around more-- I’m tired of waiting all the time, not knowing what’s going on with you and trying to find you all over again. You’ve become so important to me, and I can’t stand all this waiting around.” Julia couldn't agree more.

\---

Julia stood in the doorway, exchanging half-hearted farewells with Carmen, never quite working up enough conviction to get herself out the door. Now, the occasional sunbeam graced her back, feeling much more like she’d hoped California would. The thief stood before her, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders in cape-like fashion, hands cupped around Julia’s cheeks as she decided herself apt enough to press kisses on Julia’s face as they tried to discuss their plans. As Carmen waxed on and on about all the things she couldn’t wait to do once Julia came to join the group, Julia offered her gentle interjection.

“Sandiego, you know we can’t head off  _ anywhere _ until I have the chance to get my things together and settle in.” Carmen stuck her lip out at the use of her last name, brows creasing. Julia indulged herself, and let her thumb smooth over the crease that had formed as Carmen put on a show of sulking.

“I won’t be long, probably not much more than a week. Besides, you said it would be worth it, didn’t you?” Carmen sighed, nodded, and let her hands drop from where they held Julia. 

“Fine,” she drawled. “But you can’t take too long, and don’t let anything stop you from getting back out here. I’m going to be  _ bored _ without you, which would suck.”

“But you have a team out here with you, Shadowsan is upstairs right now. How’re you going to be bored?” Carmen groaned at Julia, shooing her away.

“Just get going already, then. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back, and the sooner I don’t have to be lonely.”

“But Carmen, how do you get lonely? There’s literally a person that you have on call at like, all times, so that-” Carmen pressed a finger to Julia’s lips, shushing her.

“Go! Get your things and hurry up already. I already miss you.” Julia smiled at that, tucking a lock of Carmen’s untamable hair behind her ear.

“Alright,” Julia said. “I’ll be fast, and we can see each other in no time.”

“Bye, Jules.” Carmen leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to Julia’s chapped lips. She only lingered briefly, savoring the moment before reigning herself in, offering Julia a fond smile. “Hurry back home.” Julia couldn’t help the blush that crept up on her face, her ears growing hot as she let her hand drop from Carmen’s face.

“I will, I promise.” Gently, regretfully, Julia took a step back, and Carmen watched her for a moment, before awkwardly offering a small wave. The ex-agent took that as her cue, and offered one last heartfelt smile before turning to head back to her car, anxious to begin this new, if not unconventional, part of their relationship.

Julia pondered Carmen’s last words, letting their true value finally sink in.  _ It’s been so long since I’ve been able to find a home like her. _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so as you could probably guess, I'm doing some more canon divergence in this now! The next chapter will defiantly break from the show's story line, and I'll have that out soon (hopefully)!  
> Thanks for reading, and as always, I live for the kudos and comments you all leave. <3!


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